title: Management of empyema cavity with the vacuum-assisted closure device.
abstract: Management of empyema after pulmonary resection remains a challenging problem. Along with mandatory drainage of the thoracic cavity and investigations to rule out bronchopleural fistula, a reliable method of thoracic cavity closure is needed. The open thoracic window and Eloesser flap techniques rarely represent definitive therapy. Muscle flap and thoracoplasty procedures may provide well-vascularized tissue to close bronchopleural fistula and obliterate the empyema cavity, but they are quite complex and involve significant patient morbidity. We report a case of empyema without bronchopleural fistula after lobectomy in which the vacuum-assisted closure device was used to achieve complete wound healing after open drainage.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology, Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. varker-1@medctr.osu.edu
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Varker
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods; D004653:Empyema / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014618:Vacuum; D014945:Wound Healing