Subatmospheric Wound Therapy With a Sealed Gauze Dressing
Subatmospheric Wound Therapy With a Sealed Gauze Dressing
Subatmospheric pressure wound therapy with antimicrobial irrigation can be safely used for selected infected wounds in an inpatient setting. Both GSUC and VAC effectively reduce wound surface area and volume in infected wounds, and GSUC therapy is not inferior to VAC. Regardless of the technique used, the authors suggest that SAWT be limited to wounds that have been adequately prepared by debridement to reduce the bacterial burden and eliminate necrotic tissue. The authors suggest frequent dressing changes and wound biopsies for surveillance cultures. If SAWT is to be used for infected wounds, concurrent systemic antimicrobial drugs and antimicrobial irrigation may also be indicated. Furthermore, there should be a low threshold to discontinue SAWT if there is any clinical evidence of a progressive wound infection. The authors do not have carefully documented experience with SAWT for infections that fail to resolve after 96 hours, and do not recommend generalizing the data reported here for the treatment of chronic wound infections. Finally, corroborating data from larger population studies is needed before SAWT can be more widely recommended for management of infected wounds.
Conclusion
Subatmospheric pressure wound therapy with antimicrobial irrigation can be safely used for selected infected wounds in an inpatient setting. Both GSUC and VAC effectively reduce wound surface area and volume in infected wounds, and GSUC therapy is not inferior to VAC. Regardless of the technique used, the authors suggest that SAWT be limited to wounds that have been adequately prepared by debridement to reduce the bacterial burden and eliminate necrotic tissue. The authors suggest frequent dressing changes and wound biopsies for surveillance cultures. If SAWT is to be used for infected wounds, concurrent systemic antimicrobial drugs and antimicrobial irrigation may also be indicated. Furthermore, there should be a low threshold to discontinue SAWT if there is any clinical evidence of a progressive wound infection. The authors do not have carefully documented experience with SAWT for infections that fail to resolve after 96 hours, and do not recommend generalizing the data reported here for the treatment of chronic wound infections. Finally, corroborating data from larger population studies is needed before SAWT can be more widely recommended for management of infected wounds.
