Abstract

JIMENEZ JIMENEZ, César Eduardo. Vacuum assisted closure: a novel therapeutic modality for the management of complex wounds. Clinical experience with 87 cases and literature review. rev. colomb. cir. [online]. 2007, vol.22, n.4, pp.209-224. ISSN 2011-7582.

Complex wounds, acute or chronic, represent a serious challenge to the health professionals and constitute a public health problem causing high morbility and elevated costs. Vacuum assisted closure is an advanced method for the care of complex wounds, that utilizes negative pressure for the healing of a variety of lesions at different anatomical sites. Negative pressure favors wound closure through different mechanisms including the removal interstitial fluid, angiogenesis and mitosis, and decrease of the bacterial load. This system creates subathmospheric pressure, -50 to -200 mm Hg, by means of an electrical pump, a microcomputer, and a system of dressings of special characteristics. Our purpose was to evaluate the negative pressure system in wounds of difficult management and of different characteristics during the period June 2005 to June 2206, during which we managed 87 patients with wounds of varied etiology, under informed consent. The main findings were the rapid and optimal closure of different chronic wounds, diminution of direct and indirect costs, reduction of nursing and medical care times, shorter hospital stays, and much improvement in the patients' quality of life.

Keywords : skin ulcer; wound healing; wounds and injuries; atmospheric pressure.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )