Early experience and recommendations for the use of an automated estimator of solution volume for negative pressure wound therapy with instillation.

INTRODUCTION:NPWTi is a device that combines the benefits of traditional NPWT with periodic irrigation. This automated device allows for preprogrammed cycles of dwelling of a solution and negative pressure onto the wound surface. Its adoption has been hampered by the perceived difficulty of estimating the volume of solution needed per dwell cycle. A new software update includes an AESV that makes this determination for the clinician. OBJECTIVE:This case series of 23 patients presents the observations of 3 experienced users at 3 institutions who employed NPWTi with the AESV. MATERIALS AND METHODS:The authors subjectively assessed the wounds to determine whether the expected clinical result was achieved utilizing AESV on a variety of anatomical locations and wound types. RESULTS:The AESV demonstrated the ability to reliably estimate adequate solution amount in 65% (15/23) of cases. In wounds greater than 120 cm3, the AESV underestimated the amount of solution needed. CONCLUSION:To the authors' knowledge, this is the first publication describing the use of AESV for NPWTi. The benefits and limitations of this software upgrade are reported and recommendations for optimal use are provided.