{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,21]],"date-time":"2026-06-21T19:49:13Z","timestamp":1782071353040,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]],"date-time":"2026-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775001600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Wound management remains a clinical challenge, with single-modality therapies such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) or conventional dressings often failing to optimize healing efficiency and quality. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of NPWT combined with alginate dressings in wound treatment, providing evidence for clinical decision-making.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n A comprehensive search was conducted across Chinese and English databases from database inception to 30 November 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing NPWT combined with alginate dressings (combined group) versus NPWT alone or routine dressing changes (control group) were included. Two researchers independently performed literature screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Meta-analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.4 software.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n A total of 11 RCTs involving 902 participants were included. Pooled results showed that the combined group significantly improved wound healing rate (OR\u202f=\u202f2.64, 95% CI 1.60\u20134.36, I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n \u202f=\u202f30%) and Grade-A healing rate (OR\u202f=\u202f4.69, 95% CI 2.56\u20138.57, I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n \u202f=\u202f0%), shortened healing time (days) (MD\u202f=\u202f\u22129.00, 95% CI -9.41 to \u22128.58, I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n \u202f=\u202f83%), reduced dressing change frequency (MD\u202f=\u202f\u22122.54, 95% CI -2.92 to \u22122.17, I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n \u202f=\u202f77%), and decreased wound pH value (MD\u202f=\u202f\u22120.82, 95% CI -1.08 to \u22120.57, I\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n \u202f=\u202f61%) compared with the control group. Heterogeneity was moderate to high for partial outcomes, mainly attributed to variations in NPWT parameters (100\u2013500\u202fmmHg) and dressing protocols. No significant publication bias was detected (all\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&gt;\u202f0.05).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n This meta-analysis finds that NPWT combined with alginate dressings significantly improves wound healing outcomes compared to monotherapy, with benefits observed primarily in hospital-based settings. While this combined regimen should be prioritized for complex or chronic wounds, judicious application of parameters\u2014including careful monitoring at higher negative pressures\u2014is warranted, and further health economic evaluation and standardized safety reporting are needed to optimize clinical decision-making.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1772888","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]],"date-time":"2026-04-01T04:51:45Z","timestamp":1775019105000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Efficacy and safety of negative pressure wound therapy combined with alginate dressings for wound management: a meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Zhenhua","family":"He","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine and Health, Shaoxing Institute of Technology","place":["Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongmei","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture","place":["Enshi, Hubei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cnur.2024.08.008","article-title":"Chronic wounds and dressings: an overview of management and effectiveness","volume":"60","author":"Sengul","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nurs Clin North Am"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"429","DOI":"10.1177\/21621918251359554","article-title":"Human wound and its burden: updated 2025 compendium of estimates","volume":"14","author":"Sen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Adv Wound Care"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"608","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jss.2025.07.025","article-title":"Epidemiology and Management for Pediatric Chronic Wounds: a systematic review of the current literature","volume":"314","author":"Qureshi","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Surg Res"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.12968\/jowc.2024.0108","article-title":"The provision of wound care and management in a community healthcare setting: an exploratory study","volume":"34","author":"Skerritt","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Wound Care"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.17804","article-title":"The impact of nursing resources on chronic wound management: a cross-sectional analysis","volume":"35","author":"Turi","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Clin Nurs"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cnur.2024.07.013","article-title":"Wound care in children and adolescents","volume":"60","author":"Singh","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nurs Clin North Am"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1020","DOI":"10.15537\/smj.2023.44.20230386","article-title":"Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is superior to conventional moist dressings in wound bed preparation for diabetic foot ulcers: a randomized controlled trial","volume":"44","author":"Wu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Saudi Med J"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.2174\/0115733998229877230926073555","article-title":"The efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on healing of diabetic foot ulcers: a literature review","volume":"20","author":"Widigdo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Curr Diabetes Rev"},{"key":"ref9","article-title":"Research progress of wound dressing based on sodium alginate composite hydrogel","author":"Zhou","year":"2025","journal-title":"Curr Med Chem"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.2147\/SCCAA.S493125","article-title":"Alginate-based hydrogels with amniotic membrane stem cells for wound dressing application","volume":"18","author":"Fitriani","year":"2025","journal-title":"Stem Cells Cloning"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1689","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(25)00143-6","article-title":"Investigators S-T: negative pressure wound therapy versus usual care in patients with surgical wound healing by secondary intention in the UK (SWHSI-2): an open-label, multicentre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial","volume":"405","author":"Arundel","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109098","DOI":"10.1016\/j.surg.2024.109098","article-title":"Negative-pressure wound therapy compared with advanced moist wound therapy: a comparative study on healing efficacy in diabetic foot ulcers","volume":"180","author":"Gu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Surgery"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anplas.2020.11.001","article-title":"ALGINATE versus negative-pressure therapy: comparison of the clinical effectiveness, tolerance and costs in management of patients after surgical excision. Multicenter, randomized non-inferiority clinical trial on 113 patients","volume":"66","author":"Guerreschi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann Chir Plast Esthet"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e284","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bjps.2014.07.036","article-title":"Customized negative pressure wound therapy for intractable auricular defects using alginate dressings and feeding tubes","volume":"67","author":"Kim","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"n71","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.n71","article-title":"The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews","volume":"372","author":"Page","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"l4898","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.l4898","article-title":"RoB 2: a revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials","volume":"366","author":"Sterne","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref17","first-page":"20","article-title":"Application value of alginate dressing combined with negative pressure wound drainage in chronic wound care","volume":"5","author":"Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pract Clinic Nurs Electr J"},{"key":"ref18","first-page":"140","article-title":"Effect analysis of alginate dressing combined with vacuum wound drainage technology in patients with chronic wound disease","volume":"18","author":"Du","year":"2020","journal-title":"Chinese Foreign Med Res"},{"key":"ref19","first-page":"82","article-title":"Comparison of the effectiveness of negative pressure sealing drainage combined with alginate dressing and medical sponge material in treating refractory burn wounds","volume":"26","author":"He","year":"2019","journal-title":"Chinese Contemp Med"},{"key":"ref20","first-page":"144","article-title":"Effect of negative pressure sealing assisted closure technique combined with Comwell alginate dressing in chronic wound healing","volume":"27","author":"Hu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Contemporary Apologists"},{"key":"ref21","first-page":"364","article-title":"Effect of alginate dressing combined with self-made negative pressure drainage technology in nursing chronic infected wounds","volume":"26","author":"Hu","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Pract Use Cardiovas Pul Vas Dis"},{"key":"ref22","first-page":"205","article-title":"Effect of alginate dressing combined with self-made negative pressure drainage technology in nursing of pressure sores","volume":"12","author":"Jia","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Nurs"},{"key":"ref23","first-page":"4064","article-title":"Application of alginate dressing combined with vacuum wound drainage technology in chronic wound care","volume":"27","author":"Li","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nurs Res"},{"key":"ref24","first-page":"40","article-title":"Clinical effectiveness of alginate dressing combined with intermittent simple negative pressure drainage in the treatment of chronic wound patients in outpatient clinics in grassroots hospitals","volume":"19","author":"Luo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Modern Drug Appl. China"},{"key":"ref25","first-page":"176","article-title":"Application of alginate dressing combined with vacuum wound drainage technology in chronic wound care","volume":"34","author":"Qi","year":"2016","journal-title":"PLA J Prev Med"},{"key":"ref26","first-page":"135","article-title":"Evaluation of the effect of negative pressure sealing drainage combined with silver ion alginate dressing in the treatment of pressure injuries","volume":"6","author":"Shang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Med Forum"},{"key":"ref27","first-page":"747","article-title":"Effect of negative pressure sealing drainage combined with alginate dressing on refractory burn wounds","volume":"18","author":"Yang","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Trauma Surg"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"208","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bjps.2024.11.005","article-title":"Effectiveness of negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation compared to standard negative-pressure wound therapy and traditional gauze layer dressing for the treatment of acute traumatic wounds: a randomized controlled trial","volume":"100","author":"Milcheski","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1089\/wound.2023.0157","article-title":"Negative pressure wound therapy: challenges, novel techniques, and future perspectives","volume":"14","author":"Keenan","year":"2025","journal-title":"Adv Wound Care"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"108920","DOI":"10.1016\/j.surg.2024.10.011","article-title":"The efficacy of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in the prevention of surgical site occurrences in open abdominal surgery: a randomized clinical trial","volume":"178","author":"Moreno Gijon","year":"2025","journal-title":"Surgery"},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"473","DOI":"10.1177\/08853282251347768","article-title":"Antioxidant and antibacterial alginate\/lignin composite hydrogels loaded with vancomycin for wound dressing applications","volume":"40","author":"Shojaeinia","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Biomater Appl"},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"138569","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijbiomac.2024.138569","article-title":"The effect of nanoceria on the alginate-gum arabic crosslinking mechanism and in vitro behavior as a wound dressing","volume":"288","author":"Feraru","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Biol Macromol"},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S143","DOI":"10.1097\/TA.0000000000004708","article-title":"Negative pressure wound therapy in resource-limited environments: review and field guide","volume":"99","author":"Luther","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Trauma Acute Care Surg"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"581","DOI":"10.1093\/jbcr\/iraf001","article-title":"Negative pressure wound therapy and its use in burn wounds: an updated systematic review","volume":"46","author":"Kuromaru","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Burn Care Res"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1097\/WON.0000000000001164","article-title":"Comparative assessment of negative pressure wound therapy versus standard treatment in diabetic foot ulcers: a systematic review and Meta-analysis","volume":"52","author":"Angulo","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S271","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arth.2025.03.004","article-title":"Closed-incision negative pressure wound therapy improves outcomes in obese aseptic revision total hip and knee arthroplasty","volume":"40","author":"Herold","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Arthroplast"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"406","DOI":"10.3390\/polym17172406","article-title":"Preparation and characterization of copper-crosslinked alginate-hyaluronic acid aerogels as potential wound dressing materials with enhanced antibacterial properties","volume":"17","author":"Athamneh","year":"2025","journal-title":"Polymers"},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S4","DOI":"10.12968\/bjon.2024.0401","article-title":"Best practices for surgical wound management","volume":"34","author":"Hwekwete","year":"2025","journal-title":"Br J Nurs"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e70729","DOI":"10.1111\/iwj.70729","article-title":"The reflections of global climate change on wound and ostomy care: awareness, experiences, and strategies in nursing practices","volume":"22","author":"Sengul","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int Wound J"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1772888\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]],"date-time":"2026-04-01T04:51:59Z","timestamp":1775019119000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1772888\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]]},"references-count":39,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmed.2026.1772888"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmed.2026.1772888","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-858X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-858X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]]},"article-number":"1772888"}}