[Treatment of traumatic soft tissue defect by vacuum sealing].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical effect of vacuum sealing in treatment of traumatic soft tissue defect.


METHODS
From 1998. 8 to 2001. 2, 49 patients with 55 traumatic soft tissue defects were treated by vacuum sealing after debridement. Among them, there were 39 males and 10 females with mean age 38. 4 years. The wound area varied from 10 cm x 10 cm to 30 cm x 30 cm. In the experimental group, the wound surfaces or cavities were filled with polyvinyl alcohol foams with embedded drainage tubes connected with vacuum bottle (negative pressure of 50-60 kPa). Wound closure was performed with secondary suturing, or skin transplantation, or local flap grafting after 5-7 days. Besides, 126 patients were managed by traditional dressing as the control group.


RESULTS
Out of 51 traumatic soft tissue defects (45 patients), the wound closure was performed with a free flap in 4, with local flap in 8, with skin grafting in 27, with secondary suturing in 6, and with vacuum sealing directly in the other 6 defects. Forty-five patients recovered and no complications (systemic and located) occurred. There were significant differences in time of secondary suturing, times of dressing, wound shrink and total therapeutic cost between two groups (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Vacuum sealing can protect the wound against contamination, evacuate the wound exudates completely, stimulate the growth of granulation tissue, and facilitate the wound healing; so vacuum sealing is a simple and effective method in treatment of traumatic soft tissue defect.
Yao
Yuan-zhang
YZ
Center of War Wound and Trauma, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China 400042.
Huang
Xian-kai
XK
Ma
Xiao-lin
XL
D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009779:Occlusive Dressings; D011145:Polyvinyls; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D013396:Suction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014618:Vacuum; D014945:Wound Healing; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000628:therapy*
D011145:Polyvinyls