Abstract

DE JUAN PEREZ, F.J.. VAC^® therapy in severe left leg injury. Cir. plást. iberolatinoam. [online]. 2011, vol.37, suppl.1, pp.S31-S38. ISSN 1989-2055.

The open fractures of the lower limb caused by high energy trauma, poses a major surgical challenge. These wounds have a significative complexity, with multiple lesions involving bone, muscle, nerves, vessels, skin and subcutaneous tissues. There are a wide spectrum of reconstructive options for the treatment, most of them requiring complex microsurgical transfers of autologous tissue. The Vacuum Assisted Therapy (VAC^®) has become a most useful tool for the plastic surgeon since the last century´s 90 decade. Based in the application of negative pressure to the wound bed, promotes healing by granulation tissue formation, keeping the wound clean and avoiding bacterial colonization. Used as a primary method or in combination with others, VAC^® therapy allows more conservative options in the treatment of these wounds, lowering the incidence of complications and avoiding the need of demanding and high cost surgical interventions. We describe the application of the VAC^® therapy in a clinical case with complex lower limb open fracture and crush injury, showing its efficacy.

Keywords : Open fractures; Wounds; Vacuum Assisted Therapy; Lower limb.

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