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Introduction. Negativepressurewoundtherapy (NPWT) and vessel loop assisted
closure are two common methods used to assist with the closure of
fasciotomy wounds. This retrospective review compares these two
methods using a primary outcome measurement of skin graft requirement. Methods. A retrospective search was performed to identify patients who
underwent fasciotomy at our institution. Patient demographics, location
of the fasciotomy, type of assisted closure, injury characteristics,
need for skin graft, length of stay and evidence of infection within
90 days were recorded. Results. A total of 56 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these,
49 underwent vessel loop closure and seven underwent NPWT assisted
closure. Patients who underwent NPWT assisted closure were at higher
risk for requiring skin grafting than patients who underwent vessel
loop closure, with an odds ratio of 5.9 (95% confidence interval
1.11 to 31.24). There was no difference in the rate of infection
or length of stay between the two groups. Demographic factors such
as age, gender, fracture mechanism, location of fasciotomy and presence
of open fracture were not predictive of the need for skin grafting. Conclusion. This retrospective descriptive case series demonstrates an increased
risk of skin grafting in patients who underwent fasciotomy and were
treated with NPWT assisted wound closure. In our series, vessel
loop closure was protective against the need for skin grafting.
Due to the small sample size in the NPWT group, caution should be
taken when generalising these results. Further research is needed
to determine if NPWT assisted closure of fasciotomy wounds truly
leads to an increased requirement for skin grafting, or if the vascular
injury is the main risk factor