2005 Symposium on Advanced Wound Care | |
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Clinical Research
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Use of negative pressure wound therapy in the management of infected abdominal wounds containing mesh: an analysis of outcomes Mona M. Baharestani, PhD, ANP, CWOCN, CWS, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY Acute abdominal wall defects most commonly result from trauma, prior surgery, necrotizing fascial infections or “damage control procedures”. In the absence of fascia, or where reapproximation without tension is not possible, prosthetic meshes such as polyglactin, polypropylene and bilayered polypropylene and ePTEE are utilized to maintain abdominal wall integrity. Increasing numbers of patients with acute abdominal wall defects are encountered who require acute or long term wound management. Wound bed preparation typically consists of an antibiotic course, multiple debridements and packing with moistened gauze until granulation tissue is established. The time to achieve ultimate closure by flap, skin grafting or secondary intention can span from weeks through months, to even years in some cases where infection is present. This retrospective review of 20 patients with infected abdominal wounds containing prosthetic mesh who were treated with NPWT* will examine: wound chronicity, etiology, patient demographics, bacteriology, type of mesh, duration of NPWT* treatment, incidence of fistula(e), frequency of mesh extraction, frequency of reoperations, time to/and type of wound closure. * V.A.C.® is a registered trademark of KCI, Inc., San Antonio, Texas |
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