The incidence of infection-related death was low. However, young age, white race, intensive chemotherapy, and lack of neutrophil surge after dexamethasone treatment were associated with infection-related complications. Close monitoring for prompt administration of antibiotics and modification of chemotherapy should be considered in these patients.

A four-year-old male castrated German shepherd dog was presented with severe left front leg lameness due to a fibrosarcoma lateral to the elbow. The ill-defined mass was not amendable to wide local excision and a curative-intent limb amputation was performed. Immediately postoperatively, closed incision management with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) was applied to minimize the risk of postoperative complications. The incision line was covered with a PrevenaTM dressing attached to a NPWT pump set at a continuous negative pressure of -125 mmHg. The dressing was removed 72 hours later. No wound complications were evident and further healing was unremarkable.

No abstract

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) involves the application of negative pressure on a wound bed for its positive effects on wound healing. Indications for NPWT concern various types of wounds, skin grafts and flaps, partial-thickness burns, open abdomen management and closed incisions. Negative pressure wound therapy has been used for centuries in human medicine. Its first use dates back to the Roman era (around 27 BCE) when human generated pressures were used. Later, European and Russian physicians developed various advanced methods and systems to apply negative pressure on wounds or other injuries. The on-going positive findings in human medicine triggered researchers in veterinary medicine to apply this technique on animal patients. However, much still has to be investigated regarding NPWT, especially in veterinary medicine, as there are many factors playing a role in the mechanisms of this treatment. New methods and techniques are continuously being developed and the existing studies show great potential for NPWT.