Negative PressureWound Therapy
For select complex wounds that are not progressing with standard care, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy uses controlled suction and a sealed dressing system to help manage drainage, remove excess fluid, support granulation tissue, and promote wound-bed progress under physician supervision.
What is Negative Pressure Wound Therapy?
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), also called Wound VAC therapy, uses a portable vacuum pump to apply gentle, controlled suction to your wound. This removes excess fluid, bacteria, and inflammatory markers while increasing blood flow to surrounding tissue.
The result: wounds heal dramatically faster — typically 20-50% faster than standard dressing alone. NPWT is FDA-cleared and Medicare-approved for diabetic ulcers, pressure injuries, surgical wounds, and other complex wounds that won't close with conventional care.
NPWT is not right for every wound.
Our physicians evaluate whether the wound is appropriate based on wound depth, drainage, tissue type, infection risk, bleeding risk, circulation, pain, and the surrounding skin. At Hill Country, our physicians manage NPWT in our outpatient clinics. You don't need hospitalization — just weekly dressing changes and pump monitoring in our office.
Negative pressure therapy combines a sealed dressing with gentle vacuum suction — creating the optimal environment for rapid healing.
How NPWT Works
A four-step process designed for rapid, visible healing.
Apply Foam or Gauze Dressing
We place a foam or gauze dressing directly on the cleaned wound bed, customized to fit your wound's shape and depth.
Create Airtight Seal
A transparent adhesive film seals the dressing completely, allowing the vacuum system to create negative pressure safely and effectively.
Apply Controlled Vacuum
The NPWT pump generates gentle negative pressure (typically 75–125 mmHg), which removes excess fluid and promotes tissue expansion.
Monitor & Adjust
Your wound is monitored regularly. Dressings are changed on a schedule determined by your care plan, and suction settings or therapy goals may be adjusted as the wound improves.
Our physicians monitor your NPWT response weekly and adjust pump settings as your wound progresses toward closure.
NPWT should be prescribed, applied, and monitored by trained wound care professionals. Our team evaluates wound type, bleeding risk, infection risk, tissue health, and surrounding skin before deciding whether NPWT is appropriate.
Benefits & Outcomes
NPWT is reserved for complex, non-healing wounds where it delivers dramatic results.
Supports Healing Progress
Negative pressure stimulates blood flow, granulation tissue formation, and angiogenesis — helping wounds progress toward closure.
Helps Manage Drainage
Continuous or intermittent vacuum removes excess exudate, edema, and inflammatory cytokines — creating a controlled moist environment for healing.
Helps Manage the Wound Environment
NPWT removes bacteria-laden fluid and disrupts biofilm — helping create a cleaner wound bed, especially for diabetic and traumatic wounds.
May Reduce Dressing Disruptions
Extended wear time (up to 5-7 days between dressing changes) means fewer clinic visits and less disruption to healing tissue.
NPWT for Select Complex Wounds
From diabetic ulcers to burn wounds, negative pressure therapy accelerates healing across wound types.
Diabetic Foot Ulcers
- Large, deep neuropathic ulcers
- High exudate with maceration
- Ulcers unresponsive to 4+ weeks standard care
Venous Leg Ulcers
- Chronic, non-healing ulcers
- Significant tissue loss or tunneling
- High-volume drainage
Used only when appropriate alongside compression and edema control.
Pressure Injuries
- Stage 3-4 with cavity or undermining
- Large surface area wounds
- Inadequate healing with standard care
Surgical & Traumatic Wounds
- Post-operative dehiscence (reopened incisions)
- Complex traumatic wounds with tissue loss
- Crush injuries with large defects
Burn Wounds
- Partial-thickness burns >10% body surface
- Burn wounds with significant slough
- Burns with compromised healing
Acute & Chronic Wounds
- Large acute wounds (lacerations, surgical)
- Chronic non-healing wounds >6 months
- Wounds with tunneling or undermining
Wounds with significant drainage or wound-bed needs.
If your wound hasn't progressed in 4+ weeks, NPWT may be the missing piece. Our physicians evaluate your wound and determine NPWT candidacy at your consultation.
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy FAQs
Have more questions? Visit our full FAQ page or explore our articles.
Hill Country Wound Care and Hyperbarics offers Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) at our three Greater San Antonio locations: Bulverde, Live Oak, and Southwest San Antonio. Our physicians use Wound VAC devices to accelerate healing in complex wounds. To schedule an appointment, call (210) 610-8154.
Accelerate Your Wound Healing with NPWT
If your wound isn't closing with standard care, negative pressure therapy could be the breakthrough you need. Schedule a consultation with our physicians today.
Hill Country Wound Care and Hyperbarics provides Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), or Wound VAC treatment, in San Antonio, Texas. This advanced therapy is used for complex diabetic, venous, and surgical wounds to accelerate healing. Our board-certified physicians manage all NPWT cases on an outpatient basis at our three clinics in Bulverde, Live Oak, and Southwest San Antonio. We accept Medicare and most major insurance plans.