Copyright 2014 The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. San Antonio, TX, U...

BACKGROUND The vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) system has been used to manage complicated wounds. The purpose of this study was to describe a novel technique in using the VAC system for orocutaneous fistulas. METHODS A retrospective study was performed on 10 patients treated at the National Cancer Centre, Singapore, who developed postoperative orocutaneous fistulas. Hydrogum dental paste was us...

Esophageal fistulas in the cervical region are usually difficult to manage and carry a high morbidity. We report a case of an esophago-colonic fistula after colonic interposition, successfully managed with vacuum-assisted closure 'V.A.C. system', (Kinetic Concepts Inc., San Antonio, TX, USA). The patient initially presented with purulent fluid from the cervical wound 13 days after surgery. Esop...

The mechanism of action of the Vacuum Assisted Closure Therapy (VAC; KCI, San Antonio, Texas), a recent novel innovation in the care of wounds, remains unknown. In vitro studies have revealed that cells allowed to stretch tend to divide and proliferate in the presence of soluble mitogens, whereas retracted cells remain quiescent. The authors hypothesize that application of micromechanical force...

BACKGROUND Negative-pressure therapy for the closure of wounds, a technique to accelerate secondary wound healing, is clinically available as the V.A.C. system (KCI Inc, San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.). Budgetary considerations in our institution precluded widespread use of the expensive V.A.C. system in routine cases. OBJECTIVES To develop a less expensive comparably effective dressing, based on th...

Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) of complex infected wounds has recently gained popularity among various surgical specialties. The system is based on the application of negative pressure by controlled suction to the wound surface. The effectiveness of the VAC System on microcirculation and the promotion of granulation tissue proliferation are proved. No contraindications for the use in deep sterna...

A tremendous amount of research has been conducted in recent years investigating the mechanisms of action by which the application of subatmospheric pressure to wounds increases the rate of healing. Similarly, numerous studies have also been conducted examining the physiologic response of wounds to the applied subatmospheric pressure. However, many more need to be conducted. A series of basic s...

BACKGROUND The vacuum assisted closure (VAC) therapy has revolutionized the modern wound care. We developed a new concept of 'VAC at home' in order to decrease the hospital cost. METHODS The study was conducted in a private hospital from January 2009 to December 2010. Only those patients were included among whom the wounds were not complicated by concomitant injury and the patients were other...

UNLABELLED OBJECTIVES The authors present a novel approach to nonresectional therapy in major hepatic trauma utilizing intraabdominal perihepatic vacuum assisted closure (VAC) therapy in the porcine model of Grade V liver injury. METHODS A Grade V injury was created in the right lobe of the liver in a healthy pig. A Pringle maneuver was applied (4.5 minutes total clamp time) and a vacuum a...

Sternal osteomyelitis and poststernotomy mediastinitis is a severe and life-threatening complication after the cardiac surgery. The incidence ranges up to 3% with a mortality rate up to 29%. In addition, postoperative infections after sternotomy are associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased healthcare costs and impaired quality of patient life, representing an economic and social burde...