Cette étude pilote évalue le coût et des éléments d'efficacité du traitement conventionnel d'un ulcère du pied diabétique et de la combinaison de la thérapie par pression négative combiné à un pansement d'argent nanocristallin, de manière rétrospective, à partir des dossiers archivés. Cette étude coût-conséquence s'effectue selon la perspective du système public de soins de santé durant la période d'hospitalisation. Des analyses de survie pour des événements récurrents ont également été effectuées afin d'évaluer l'efficacité du traitement combiné par rapport au traitement conventionnel concernant le risque d'amputation. Seize personnes présentant un ulcère du pied diabétique sévère se détériorant, admises dans un même hôpital de la Montérégie ont été incluses dans l'étude. Tous les patients identifiés entre 2003 et 2007, traités par la combinaison de la thérapie par pression négative et du pansement d'argent nanocristallin ont été inclus (n = 5). Les autres patients ont été traités de façon conventionnelle (n = 5). Un troisième groupe a fait l'objet d'une évaluation au moyen de la combinaison, mais après une amputation (n = 6). Tous les frais hospitaliers disponibles ont été inclus dans les calculs à un niveau de précision le plus élevé possible. Les résultats de notre recherche dévoilent que, sur un suivi moyen d'environ trois ans, le coût moyen du traitement d'un ulcère du pied diabétique sévère s'élève à 71 420,98 $ pour le groupe des patients traités de façon conventionnelle et à 78 771,10 \$ pour le groupe traité par la combinaison. Pour tous les groupes confondus, le coût du traitement local de la plaie représente environ 4 % du coût total alors que les frais reliés à l'hospitalisation en représentent 60 %. De plus, les résultats des analyses de survie montrent un risque significatif six fois moins élevé de subir une amputation lorsque le patient reçoit le traitement combiné par rapport au traitement conventionnel. Nos résultats se démarquent de ceux publiés jusqu'à maintenant, par une méthode de calcul la plus précise possible. Les résultats nous permettent de conclure que le traitement combiné représente une minime partie du coût total du traitement par rapport aux frais hospitaliers et permet d'éviter des amputations.

The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) using reticulated open-cell foam (ROCF) in the adjunctive management of abdominal wounds with exposed and known infected synthetic mesh. A non randomised, retrospective review of medical records for 21 consecutive patients with infected abdominal wounds treated with NPWT was conducted. All abdominal wounds contained exposed synthetic mesh [composite, polypropylene (PP), or knitted polyglactin 910 (PG) mesh]. Demographic and bacteriological data, wound history, pre-NPWT and comparative post-NPWT, operative procedures and complications, hospital length of stay (LOS) and wound healing outcomes were all analysed. Primary endpoints measured were (1) hospital LOS prior to initiation of NPWT, (2) total time on NPWT, (3) hospital LOS from NPWT initiation to discharge and (4) wound closure status at discharge. A total of 21 patients with abdominal wounds with exposed, infected mesh were treated with NPWT. Aetiology of the wounds was ventral hernia repair (n = 11) and acute abdominal wall defect (n = 10). Prior to NPWT initiation, the mean hospital LOS for the composite, PP and PG meshes were 76 days (range: 21-171 days), 51 days (range: 32-62 days) and 19 days (range: 12-39 days), respectively. The mean hospital LOS following initiation of NPWT for wounds with exposed composite, PP and PG mesh were 28, 31 and 32 days, respectively. Eighteen of the 21 wounds (86%) reached full closure after a mean time of 26 days of NPWT and a mean hospital LOS of 30 days postinitiation of NPWT. Three wounds, all with composite mesh left in situ, did not reach full closure, although all exhibited decreased wound dimensions, granulating beds and decreased surface area exposure of mesh. During NPWT/ROCF, one hypoalbuminemic patient with exposed PP mesh developed an enterocutaneous fistula over a prior enterotomy site. This patient subsequently underwent total mesh extraction, takedown of the fistula and PP mesh replacement followed by reinstitution of NPWT and flap closure. In addition to appropriate systemic antibiotics and nutritional optimisation, the adjunctive use of NPWT resulted in successful closure of 86% of infected abdominal wounds with exposed prosthetic mesh. Patient hospital LOS (except those with PG mesh), operative procedures and readmissions were decreased during NPWT compared with treatment prior to NPWT. Future multi-site prospective, controlled studies would provide a strong evidence base from which treatment decisions could be made in the management of these challenging and costly cases.

Gabriel A, Shores J, Bernstein B, de Leon J, Kamepalli R, Wolvos T, Baharestani MM, Gupta S. A Clinical Review of Infected Wound Treatment with Vacuum Assisted Closure ® (V.A.C. ®) Therapy: Experience and Case Series. ABSTRACT Over the last decade Vacuum Assisted Closure ® (KCI Licensing, Inc., San Antonio, TX) has been established as an effective wound care modality for managing complex acute and chronic wounds. The therapy has been widely adopted by many institutions to treat a variety of wound types. Increasingly, the therapy is being used to manage infected and critically colonized, difficult-to-treat wounds. This growing interest coupled with practitioner uncertainty in using the therapy in the presence of infection prompted the convening of an interprofessional expert advisory panel to determine appropriate use of the different modalities of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) as delivered by V.A.C. ® Therapy and V.A.C. Instill ® with either GranuFoam ™ or GranuFoam Silver ™ Dressings. The panel reviewed infected wound treatment methods within the context of evidence-based medicine coupled with experiential insight using V.A.C. ® Therapy Systems to manage a variety of infected wounds. The primary objectives of the panel were 1) to exchange state-of-practice evidence, 2) to review and evaluate the strength of existing data, and 3) to develop practice recommendations based on published evidence and clinical experience regarding use of the V.A.C. ® Therapy Systems in infected wounds. These recommendations are meant to identify which infected wounds will benefit from the most appropriate V.A.C. ® Therapy System modality and provide an infected wound treatment algorithm that may lead to a better understanding of optimal treatment strategies.

Baharestani M, Amjad I, Bookout K, Fleck T, Gabriel A, Kaufman D, McCord SS, Moores DC, Olutoye OO, Salazar JD, Song DH, Teich S, Gupta S. V.A.C. ® Therapy in the management of paediatric wounds: clinical review and experience. ABSTRACT Usage of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in the management of acute and chronic wounds has grown exponentially in the past decade. Hundreds of studies have been published regarding outcomes and methods of therapy used for adult wounds. This treatment is increasingly being used to manage difficult-to-treat paediatric wounds arising from congenital defects, trauma, infection, tumour, burns, pressure ulceration and postsurgical complications in children, although relatively few studies have been aimed at this population. Given the anatomical and physiological differences between adults and children, a multidisciplinary expert advisory panel was convened to determine appropriate use of NPWT with reticulated open cell foam (NPWT/ROCF) as delivered by Vacuum Assisted Closure® (V.A.C.® Therapy, KCI Licensing, Inc., San Antonio, TX) for the treatment of paediatric wounds. The primary objectives of the expert advisory panel were to exchange state-of-practice information on paediatric wound care, review the published data regarding the use of NPWT/ROCF in paediatric wounds, evaluate the strength of the existing data and establish guidelines on best practices with NPWT/ROCF for the paediatric population. The proposed paediatrics-specific clinical practice guidelines are meant to provide practitioners an evidence base from which decisions could be made regarding the safe and efficacious selection of pressure settings, foam type, dressing change frequency and use of interposing contact layer selections. The guidelines reflect the state of knowledge on effective and appropriate wound care at the time of publication. They are the result of consensus reached by expert advisory panel members based on their individual clinical and published experiences related to the use of NPWT/ROCF in treating paediatric wounds. Best practices are described herein for novice and advanced users of NPWT/ROCF. Recommendations by the expert panel may not be appropriate for use in all circumstances. Decisions to adopt any particular recommendation must be made by the collaborating medical team, including the surgeon and wound care specialist based on available resources, individual patient circumstances and experience with the V.A.C.® Therapy System.