Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Split Thickness Skin Grafting to the Lower Leg After Excision of Skin Tumour: A Multicentre Randomised Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effect of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) versus traditional dressings on the incidence of transplant infection in adult patients undergoing split-thickness skin grafting (STSG) to the lower leg following excision of a skin tumour. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does NPWT reduce the incidence of transplant infection within three months after STSG? Does NPWT improve secondary outcomes such as graft take, reduce reoperations, complications, and resource use? Researchers will compare patients treated with NPWT to patients treated with traditional dressings to see if NPWT results in lower infection rates and better clinical outcomes. Participants will: Undergo excision of a skin tumour on the lower leg followed by STSG. Be randomized to receive either NPWT or traditional dressings applied over the graft. Follow a structured postoperative care and mobilisation schedule. Attend follow-up visits at day 5 and day 14 postoperatively and be monitored through medical record review up to three months after surgery.

NCT Number	NCT07040683
Lead Sponsor	Region Skane
Conditions	Skin Transplantation, Skin Grafting, Split Thickness Skin Graft, Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy, Postoperative Complications, Surgical Wound Infection, Lower Extremity, Skin Cancer +4 more
Enrollment	242 participants
Start Date	2025-11-01
Primary Completion	2029-12-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2030-03-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-28