Table I.
Baseline patient characteristics.
| Variable | NPWT group (n = 266) | Standard wound dressing group (n = 1,056) |
|---|---|---|
| Mean age, yrs (SD) | 43.0 (15.6) | 43.7 (16.9) |
| Sex, n (%) | ||
| Female | 52 (19.5) | 328 (31.1) |
| Male | 214 (80.5) | 728 (68.9) |
| Gustilo grade, n (%) | ||
| II | 73 (27.4) | 628 (59.5) |
| IIIA | 99 (37.2) | 349 (33.0) |
| IIIB | 94 (35.3) | 79 (7.5) |
| Mechanism of Injury, n (%) | ||
| Low energy | 6 (2.3) | 98 (9.3) |
| High energy | 260 (97.7) | 958 (90.7) |
| Fracture location, n (%) | ||
| Other | 96 (36.1) | 523 (49.5) |
| Tibia | 170 (63.9) | 533 (50.5) |
| Contamination, n (%) | ||
| Mild | 124 (46.6) | 785 (74.3) |
| Moderate | 102 (38.3) | 221 (20.9) |
| Severe | 40 (15.0) | 50 (4.7) |
| Irrigation solution, n (%) | ||
| Soap | 130 (48.9) | 920 (87.1) |
| Saline | 136 (51.1) | 567 (53.7) |
| Amount of fascial tissue debrided, n (%) | ||
| None | 47 (17.7) | 383 (36.3) |
| Small (< 1 cm2) | 135 (50.8) | 560 (53.0) |
| Moderate (1 to 5 cm2) | 72 (27.1) | 102 (9.7) |
| Large (> 5 cm2) | 12 (4.5) | 11 (1.0) |
| Amount of bone debrided (n = 265), n (%) | ||
| None | 98 (36.8) | 547 (51.8) |
| Small (< 1 cm2) | 100 (37.6) | 364 (34.5) |
| Moderate (1 to 5 cm2) | 53 (19.9) | 124 (11.7) |
| Large (> 5 cm2) | 14 (5.3) | 21 (2.0) |
| Amount of skin debrided, n (%) | ||
| None | 38 (14.3) | 303 (28.7) |
| Small (< 1 cm2) | 124 (46.6) | 619 (58.6) |
| Moderate (1 to 5 cm2) | 86 (32.3) | 111 (10.5) |
| Large (> 5 cm2) | 18 (6.8) | 23 (2.2) |
| Amount of muscle debrided (n = 1,055), n (%) | ||
| None | 61 (22.9) | 502 (47.5) |
| Small (< 1 cm2) | 117 (44.0) | 434 (41.1) |
| Moderate (1 to 5 cm2) | 64 (24.1) | 105 (9.9) |
| Large (> 5 cm2) | 24 (9.0) | 14 (1.3) |
| Mean wound width, cm (SD) | 6.4 (6.3) | 3.1 (3.3) |
| Mean wound length, cm (SD) | 8.6 (8.9) | 5.6 (5.6) |
| Wound degloving injury, n (%) | 124 (46.6) | 193 (18.3) |
| Skin loss, n (%) | 132 (49.6) | 185 (17.5) |
| Muscle loss, n (%) | 106 (39.8) | 144 (13.6) |
NPWT, negative pressure wound therapy; SD, standard deviation.