title: The value of vacuum-assisted closure in septic patients treated with laparostomy.
abstract: The ideal method of temporary abdominal closure (TAC) should allow rapid closure, easy maintenance, and wound repair with minimal tissue damage. The aim of this retrospective study is to compare open abdomen outcomes between patients managed with vacuum-assisted closure (VAC), and patients  managed with other methods of TAC, when septic abdomen is present. Two groups of patients with septic open abdomen: 27 treated with VAC versus 31 treated with other techniques of TAC. We studied open abdomen duration, number of dressing changes, re-exploration rate, successful abdominal  closure rate, overall mortality, and development of enteroatmospheric fistulas. The VAC device demonstrated its superiority concerning open abdomen duration (P < 0.001), number of dressing changes (P < 0.001), re-exploration rate (P < 0.002), successful abdominal  closure rate (P < 0.0001), and development of enteroatmospheric fistulas (P < 0.00001). Compared with other methods of TAC, our experience with the VAC device demonstrated its advantages concerning clinical feasibility. The high rates of direct fascia closure with an acceptable  rate of ventral hernias are further benefits of this technique.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Surgery, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pliakos
authors.forename: Theodossis S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Papavramidis
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Michalopoulos
authors.forename: Nickolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Deligiannidis
authors.forename: Isaak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kesisoglou
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sapalidis
authors.forename: Spiros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papavramidis
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000038:Abscess / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001458:Bandages; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D019115:Fasciitis, Necrotizing / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000401:mortality; D016896:Treatment Outcome