The Internal Negative-Pressure Wound Control System: A Paradigm Shift for Promoting Deep Space Healing in Complex Surgically Created Wounds

This article introduces a new technology to minimize seroma and promote more predictable healing in surgically created deep space wounds. Its novel design internalizes the delivery of a continuously generated high negative pressure (–125 mmHg) throughout the surgically created space by means of a multibranched Manifold. In a small prospective cohort case study of 24 patients undergoing full abdominoplasty, all patients underwent placement of this device, which was removed 7 days postoperatively. Results at 30 days revealed no evidence of wound-healing problems, no clinical seroma, and no device malfunction. The internalization of a constant negative-pressure wound therapy provided by this system has the potential to significantly reduce clinical seroma, and to produce more consistent apposition of interfaces in deep tissue spaces in complex wounds seen in plastic surgery and other surgical disciplines.