VACUUM-ASSISTED CLOSURE - A NEW METHOD FOR WOUND CONTROL AND TREATMENT - CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE

Despite numerous advances, chronic and other difficult-to-manage wound s continue to be a treatment challenge. Presented is a new subatmosphe ric pressure technique: vacuum-assisted closure (The V.A.C.). The V.A. C. technique entails placing an open-cell foam dressing into the wound cavity and applying a controlled subatmospheric pressure (125 mmHg be low ambient pressure). Three hundred wounds were treated: 175 chronic wounds, 94 subacute wounds, and 31 acute wounds. Two hundred ninety-si x wounds responded favorably to subatmospheric pressure treatment, wit h an increased rate of granulation tissue formation. Wounds were treat ed until completely closed, were covered with a split-thickness skin g raft, or a flap was rotated into the healthy, granulating wound bed. T he technique removes chronic edema, leading to increased localized blo od flow, and the applied forces result in the enhanced formation of gr anulation tissue. Vacuum-assisted closure is an extremely efficacious modality for treating chronic and difficult wounds.