title: Vacuum-assisted closure for the treatment of abdominal wounds.
abstract: Abdominal wall defects pose a significant surgical challenge. The defect may result from trauma, infections, previous major surgery, or some combination of these etiologies. This article describes the Vacuum-Assisted Closure device (VAC, KCI, San Antonio, Texas) and how it can help in treating these defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA. adefranz@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: DeFranzo
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Argenta
mesh_terms: D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery*