VAC therapy for the treatment of complex wounds after cardio-thoracic surgery

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Giovanni De Caridi ; Raffaele Serra ; Mafalda Massara ; Mario Barone ; Raffaele Grande ; Lucia Butrico ; Pasquale Mastroroberto ; Stefano de Franciscis and Francesco Monaco
• 刊名：International Wound Journal
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：October 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：13
• 期：5
• 页码：759-762
• 全文大小：670K
• ISSN：1742-481X

文摘

The aim of this study is to report our experience about the treatment of complex sternal and thoracic wounds following cardiothoracic surgery, using vacuum-assisted closure (VAC therapy. Twelve patients presenting with sternal (five cases) and thoracic (seven cases) wounds that were difficult to heal were treated through VAC therapy after the first surgical debridement. The duration of VAC application ranged from 12 to 36 days with an average hospital stay of 24·6 ± 11·4 days. During a mean follow-up of 12 months, we observed complete wound healing in seven cases (58·3%), in an average period of 25·5 ± 14·3 days; one patient died during follow-up, two patients were lost to follow-up and two patients required definitive surgical closure of the wound cavity. In conclusion, VAC therapy promotes faster wound healing, with shorter hospital stay and subsequent lesser in-hospital cost, reducing the mortality rate in the long run. It also promotes early rehabilitation and alleviates the need for a second procedure, thus improving patient satisfaction, with minimal discomfort or inconvenience.