Venkat R1, Suresh Babu G2
BACKGROUND
VAC AKA-negative pressure wound therapy “the VAC acts as a new step in the ‘reconstruction ladder’. The VAC enhances the tissue granulation, which makes it possible to use less complex reconstruction options, e.g., converting the wounds acceptable for the skin grafting, which otherwise would have required flap coverage.”
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedics, S. V. R. R. G. G. Hospital, Sri Venkateswara Medical College, Tirupati, from January 2014 to September 2015. 34 patients were treated for various fractures with significant soft tissue loss during this period with the proposed method and were included in the present study. This is a prospective study with longitudinal follow up of patients throughout the study period.
RESULTS
In our study, a total of 35 patients were treated with custom made vacuum-assisted closure system. All of them were initially opined to be requiring flap cover surgery by plastic surgeon to fill for the soft tissue defect, however, with our method, out of 35, only 2 required flap cover and rest of them could be managed with a lesser invasive method of split skin grafting. Out of 35 patients, 33 were lower limb injuries and 2 have sustained upper limb injuries. Average number of dressing required were 2.69 and average duration for wound healing was 5.3 days. There were no significant complications in the present study.
CONCLUSION
Homemade VAC is a cost effective, equally efficacious and a valuable alternative modality of treatment in traumatic soft tissue defects with decreased morbidity, improved compliance and fruitful outcomes.
