Efficacy of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy after pediatric liver transplant

Objectives: Wound dehiscence is a common surgical complication, especially among pediatric liver trans - plant recipients in our center. In 2013, we introduced negative pressure wound therapy as a preventive treatment. We herein report the clinical outcomes of this intervention. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the 26 pediatric liver transplant recipients in our center since 2011. We excluded 1 girl whose wound could not be closed due to bowel edema. The first 13 of the 25 remaining patients were treated with conventional wound management (conventional group). The latter 12 were treated with prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy (prophylactic group). Incidences of surgical complications and patient characteristics were compared between groups. Results: Wound dehiscence occurred in 7 of the 13 patients in the conventional group and 3 of the 12 patients in the prophylactic group. When restricted to dehiscence that required surgical debridement, there were 6 cases in the conventional group and no cases in the prophylactic group. Although background data showed that liver insufficiency in the prophylactic group was more severe, this group had a lower incidence of wound dehiscence (P = .015). Conclusions: Prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy is thought to be effective for preventing wound dehiscence among pediatric liver transplant recipients.