title: Vacuum supported laparostomy--an effective treatment of intraabdominal infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Notable experience using the vacuum assisted closure for abdominal wall defects was an assumption for its intra-abdominal application in severely septic patients with intra-abdominal infection. The goal of this study was to evaluate our experience with this new therapeutic technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a retrospective analysis and comparison of two groups of patients with severe sepsis and proven intra-abdominal source of infection. Group A consisted of 41 patients, 31 men and 10 women with the age ranging 18-78 years old (mean 49.5), who were treated surgically between 1998 and 2002 using a combination of laparostomy, multiple irrigations and abdominal drainage. Group B consisted of 46 patients, 32 men and 14 women age 18-87 years old (mean 50.8), who were treated between 2002 and 2006 using former techniques with the addition of an intra-abdominal vacuum assisted negative pressure therapy system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the group A the number of re-laparotomies with debridement of the open abdominal wound in general anesthesia ranged from 5 to 18 over 10 to 35 days (mean 19.4) of hospital stay. In the group B, the number of re-laparotomies decreased to 3-9 and the hospital stay decreased to 7-29 days (mean 14.5). Fifteen patients (36.6%) in the group A died because of severe sepsis, compared to 11 patients (23.9%) in the group B.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Authors confirmed a significant reduction of morbidity and mortality using the intraabdominal vacuum assisted system in the treatment of localized intra-abdominal sepsis (Tab. 2, Ref 18). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Slovak Medical University, Derer's University Hospital, Bratislava, Slovakia. juraj.olejnik@szu.sk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olejnik
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sedlak
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brychta
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tibensky
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000601:surgery*; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D010533:Peritoneal Lavage