Abstract： Objective To introduce the early experience of using vacuum-assisted closure （VAC） in the treatment of wound dehiscence after thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. Methods This report retrospective1y analyzed the clinical data of 12 patients who underwent VAC in the treatment of wound dehiscence after thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in the Affiliated Hospital of the Logistics University of CAPF between October 2010 and October 2011. There were 7 male patients and 5 female patients with their mean age of 64.3 years （ranging from 39 to 80 years）. All patients underwent operation via median sternotomy or lateral thoracic incision. All the wound dehiscence was deep to sternum or rib. After debridement of necrotic tissue, the wound surfaces were covered with VAC sponges, and intermittent negative pressure therapy was used. The VAC sponges were changed every 7-10 days. Results All the patients underwent an average of 2 times to change the VAC sponges during VAC treatment. After VAC treatment, the edema around the surgical wounds gradually disappeared, and the granulation tissue was refreshed. The overall conditions of all the patients were improved. The patients could leave their bed, walk in the ward, and look after themselves. Antibiotic treatment was no longer used. The residents checked up the negative pressure system every day to see whether it worked well. The patients were no longer afraid of changing dressing and pain every day. All the patients were healed, discharged from the hospital and followed up at outpatient department for a mean time of 7 months. Their wounds all healed well during follow-up. Conclusion VACsystem is easy to use. It can facilitate the healing of wound dehiscence quickly, decrease the inflammatory reaction of local wound and the body, and shorten the rehabilitation time. It’s also helpful to reduce the residents’ work load. It is recommended in the treatment of wound dehiscence after thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.
Objective To evaluate outcomes of vacuum sealing drainage（VSD）for the treatment of wound infection after cardiac surgery.?Methods?We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 70 patients（with valvular heart disease，congenital heart disease or coronary heart disease）who underwent cardiac surgery via mid-sternotomy and had postoperative wound infection from Jan. 2008 to Jan. 2012 in General Military Hospital of Guangzhou Command. According to different treatment strategy for wound infection, all the patients with wound infection （incision longer than 5 cm） were randomly divided into VSD group （n=35） and control group（n=35） by random number table，while VSD treatment was used for patients in VSD group and routine treatment was used for patients in control group. Treatment outcome，duration of wound infection, duration of antibiotic treatment and treatment cost were compared between the two groups.?Results?There was no in-hospital death in both groups. Wound exudate significantly decreased and fresh granulation tissue grew well in the wound in most VSD group patients after VSD treatment. The cure rate of VSD group was significantly higher than that of control group （94.3% vs. 60.0%，P＜0.05）. Duration of wound infection （12.9±3.4 d vs. 14.8±4.1 d；t=-2.094，P=0.040）and duration of antibiotic treatment （7.0±1.5 d vs. 8.3±1.9 d；t=-2.920，P=0.005） of VSD group were significantly shorter than those of control group. There was no statistical difference in treatment cost between the two groups. Fifteen patients in VSD group were followed up （42.9%） for 3 months with good wound healing, and 20 patients in VSD group were lost in follow-up.?Conclusion?VSD is effective for the treatment of wound infection after cardiac surgery with shortened treatment duration and similar treatment cost compared with routine treatment.
ObjectiveTo observe the effect of silver dressings on treating diabetic foot ulcer infection. MethodsA total of 105 patients with diabetic foot ulcers treated from May 2012 to April 2014 were randomly divided into two groups:group A and B. Patients in group A were treated with imported silver ion alginate dressing, while group B was treated with domestic nanometer silver dressing. All patients were given basic treatment, and the effect of silver dressing was evaluated by observing bacterial clearance rate and wound healing score. ResultsThere were significant improvement in bacterial clearance rate and wound healing score in both two groups after treatment. The bacterial clearance rate was similar between the two groups (P>0.05). However, the descending trend of wound healing score in group A was significantly more obvious than group B (P<0.01). ConclusionBoth two silver dressings are effective in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer infection, but the effectiveness of silver ion alginate dressing is superior. Bacterial clearance rate and wound healing score are objective and applicable index to evaluate the treatment effects of silver dressing.
ObjectiveTo research on the types of pathogenic bacteria in wound infection and analyze the effectiveness of long-term use of nano-silver dressing in the treatment of pressure ulcers, in order to provide references for the management of pressure ulcer wound. MethodsFifty-five patients (60 wounds) with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ pressure ulcer wound treated in all departments between September 2011 and August 2015 were chosen to be our study subjects. Under overall intervention, all the wounds were assessed by the same method, cleansed and debrided, after which nano-silver antimicrobial dressing was used to intervene until the wound healed or the end of 8 weeks. The wounds which were not healed were treated with wet dressing therapy until wound healing. The detection rate of pathogenic bacteria before intervention and 2, 4 and 8 weeks after intervention, change of pressure ulcer healing score and the rate of wound healing were observed. ResultsBefore the intervention, 12 kinds of pathogenic bacteria were detected, including mainly Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and coagulase negative Staphylococci. The detection rate of pathogenic bacteria was 92.73% (51/55). With the use of nano-silver dressing during different time periods, the detection rate of pathogenic bacteria and the total score of pressure ulcer were lowered by varying degrees (P<0.01). Four and 8 weeks after intervention, wound bed improved significantly and the detection rate of pathogenic bacteria decreased faster. The healing rate during the intervention period was 23.64% (13/55). ConclusionThe incidence of pressure ulcer wound infection is high. The use of nano-silver wound dressing can effectively remove pathogenic bacteria and promote wound healing.
Wound infection can prolong wound healing time, increase hospitalization cycle and readmission rate, seriously affect patients’ quality of life and increase economic expenditure. Timely and accurate identification and management of wound infections is key to promoting wound healing and maximizing cost-effective management. In 2022, the International Wound Infection Association published the third edition of Wound Infection in Clinical Practice: Principles of Best Practice. The consensus incorporates new advances in research and clinical practice in the areas of wound environment, risk factors for infection, biofilms, antibiotic resistance, and the identification and management of wound infections, and provides detailed approaches to infection assessment and management. This article introduces the key elements of the 2022 expert consensus and interprets the updated content to help healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, and policy makers understand the latest consensus document, promote its clinical application in the prevention and treatment of wound infection, and better improve the quality of clinical practice.