﻿A Retrospective Review of the Outcomes of Vacuum-assisted Closure Therapy in a Vascular Surgery Unit﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿.
﻿ ﻿Wound problems are common in vascular surgery. They pose a therapeutic dilemma due to multiple etiologies. The use of vacuum-assisted closure (V.A.C.®, KCI, San Antonio, Tex), or negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has increased despite conflicting reports regarding its effectiveness. A retrospective review of 74 patients was conducted from 2002 to 2006 to assess the success of NPWT usage. Thirty-four (45.9%) patients were women and 40 (54.1%) men with median age of 65.5. There were 77 wounds in total: 25 foot, 13 toe and groin, 9 leg and thigh, 7 trunk, and 1 neck. Twenty-nine (37.7%) of these wounds were a result of surgical incision breakdown. Majority (n = 42, 54.5%) were infected secondary wounds. Six (7.8%) were infected wounds that broke down after initial closure. Overall surface area was 18.7 cm2: toe (15 cm2), foot (20 cm2), leg (32 cm2), thigh (57.5 cm2), groin (20 cm2), trunk (15 cm2), and neck (1.5 cm2). The median duration of NPWT was 11 days: toe (7.4), foot (12.2), leg (11.4), thigh (19), groin (15.6), trunk (18.4), and neck (1). The median length of stay in hospital was 36 days: toe (29.9), foot (44.5), leg (39.4), thigh (59.8), groin (35.2), trunk (45), and neck (35).


RESULTS
The median healing time was 86 days. Overall healing was 75.4% (n ≥ 46). The predictors of poor healing were distal location, higher left dorsalis pedis value, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, dietary input, and supplementation. Weight gain, high dependency area (HDA) admission, combination hypoglycemic therapy, and steroid use were associated with faster healing.


CONCLUSIONS
The success of vacuum-assisted closure is best above the ankle where the blood supply is usually adequate in vascular patients. ﻿﻿﻿.
Royal Perth Hospital, Department of Vascular Surgery, Perth, West Australia; Email: jenha81@yahoo.com.au.
Jennifer
J
Ha
Michael
M
Phillips
Kishore
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Sieunarine