Assessment of Vacuum-Assisted Closure (VAC) Therapy in Orthopaedic Infections

Introduction Chronic and infected orthopaedic wounds may result in profound morbidity, amputation, sepsis and even death. It may need prolonged hospitalization and multiple surgical procedures for treatment. Vacuum-assisted dressing (VAD) is a comparatively newer modality for treating chronic non-healing wounds which helps in faster wound healing, decreases the frequency of dressing and reduces hospitalization time. The aim of our study is to evaluate the outcome of vacuum-assisted dressing (VAD) in the management of orthopaedic wounds. Materials and methods A case series including 20 patients with post-traumatic open fracture wounds, post-operative infected wounds and wounds with underlying chronic osteomyelitis were treated with VAD. Wound size was measured pre- and post-debridement and every five days, at the time of dressing change until the wound healed or grafted. The duration of wound healing or wound closure was measured and documented. Results Wound size decreased significantly and healthy granulation tissues were observed in all wounds after the application of vacuum-assisted dressing. Wound size decreased by an average of 22% after debridement and first vacuum-assisted dressing removal. Infection control was achieved in 18 out of 20 patients (90%) who had wounds closed either by secondary closure or by skin grafting. Conclusion We conclude that VAD is an efficient technique in the management of orthopaedic wounds, especially in the management of open fracture wounds but less effective in chronically infected wounds with underlying osteomyelitis.