PD491 - IMPACT OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION ON WOUND HEALING OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING VACUUM-ASSISTED CLOSURE THERAPY: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

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PD491

IMPACT OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION ON WOUND HEALING OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING VACUUM-ASSISTED CLOSURE THERAPY: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

I. Tuzken1,*, C. Y. Boztuğ1, P. Arı2, S. Demirer1, H. Uncu1

1General Surgery, 2Nutrition Unit, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye

 

Rationale: Malnutrition is a well-recognized factor impairing wound healing; however, its impact in patients undergoing vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy remains insufficiently defined. This study aimed to evaluate whether nutritional supplementation improves wound healing outcomes and infection control in this population.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 48 patients treated with VAC therapy for wound management. Patients were stratified by receipt of nutritional supplementation, and clinical, laboratory, microbiological, and wound-healing outcomes were compared using univariate analyses.

Results: In this 48-patient cohort, nutritional supplementation was associated with a significantly greater reduction in wound area and lower wound culture positivity compared to no supplementation (25.0% vs 55.6%, p=0.04). Patients without wound healing had higher CRP levels (p=0.03). Length of stay was longer in the supplementation group.

Conclusion: Nutritional supplementation was associated with improved wound healing, greater reduction in wound area, and lower wound culture positivity in patients undergoing vacuum-assisted closure therapy. These findings suggest that optimizing nutritional status may enhance tissue repair and help modulate the inflammatory and infectious milieu in this high-risk population. Further studies with larger patient cohorts are warranted to validate these results and better define the role of nutritional support in VAC-treated patients.

 

References: Molnar JA, Underdown MJ, Clark WA. Nutrition and Chronic Wounds. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2014 Nov 1;3(11):663-681. doi: 10.1089/wound.2014.0530. PMID: 25371850; PMCID: PMC4217039

Zeng Y, Tu J, Qin J. The mechanism by which negative pressure wound therapy promotes wound healing. J Tissue Viability. 2026 Feb;35(1):100982. doi: 10.1016/j.jtv.2025.100982. Epub 2025 Dec 16. PMID: 41418450.

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure of Interest: None declared