Negative pressure wound therapy reduces hospital stay by 7.8 days in diabetic wounds

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International wound journal Published June 1, 2026 Medically reviewed June 1, 2026 Study authors: Moscalu Roxana, Moscalu Mihaela, Reid Adam J, Domingos Marco, Stevens Adam, Wong Jason K F PubMed ↗ DOI ↗ By Dr. Amelia Tan, PhD · Internal Medicine & Chronic Disease

Key Takeaway

Consider NPWT for diabetic wounds to potentially reduce hospital stay and complications, but evidence is limited.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies evaluated negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) versus standard care dressings (SCD) for diabetic wounds. The primary analysis showed that NPWT significantly reduced hospitalisation period by a mean of 7.8 days (95% CI: -14.2 to -1.4, p = 0.017) and significantly reduced complication rates (95% CI: -10.2 to -1.3, p = 0.01). Other outcomes such as healing duration, wound closure, local inflammation, oxidative stress, angiogenesis, and scarring were assessed but pooled effect sizes were not reported.

The authors note several limitations, including a paucity of studies, small cohort sizes, and scarce consistency in outcomes across trials. Adverse events, serious adverse events, and discontinuations were not reported. The review highlights the potential benefits of NPWT in diabetic wound management but cautions that clear conclusions are limited and further research is needed to fully understand NPWT's role.

Clinicians should interpret these findings cautiously given the methodological limitations. While NPWT appears to reduce hospital stay and complications, the evidence base is not robust enough to mandate practice change without considering individual patient factors and local resources.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedJun 2026

PMID42220094

View Original Abstract ↓

Although Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) has been increasingly used in wound care to improve impaired healing, there is little scientific evidence supporting its role and underlying biomolecular mechanisms. Aims of the present study are to provide a quantitative analysis of recent literature investigating NPWT in diabetic wound healing focusing on healing duration, wound closure, hospitalisation period and complications, and qualitative insight into studies analysing biomolecular mechanisms. The systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42024524813). 21 studies published in PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE between 2019 and 2024 were included. Clinical studies indicated NPWT was superior to standard care dressings (SCD), promoting faster wound healing with significantly reduced hospitalisation times by 7.8 days (95% CI: -14.2 to -1.4, p = 0.017), and significantly reduced complications rates, particularly major and minor amputations (95% CI: -10.2 to -1.3, p = 0.01). Mechanistic in vitro and animal studies highlighted NPWT can reduce local inflammation, oxidative stress, support angiogenesis and improve scarring, essential components of normal healing. Although studies suggest NPWT is more effective than SCD for diabetic wound healing, the paucity of studies, small cohorts and scarce outcomes consistency make defining clear conclusions challenging. There is still more evidence required to fully understand NPWT's role in the complex diabetic wound healing.