Role of vacuum assisted closer therapy in various types of musculoskeletal injuries.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION : In wound care for a wide variety of causes all around the world, reconstructive surgeons
now include vacuum-assisted closure, often known as VAC, as part of their arsenal of treatment options.
This beneficial device is attributed with expediting wound healing by reducing bacterial burden and
increasing granulation tissue. This can, in certain instances, make the requirement for a flap obsolete,
which is especially true in wounds that were caused by trauma. This is especially helpful in low-income
nations, where certain surgical treatments require specialized equipment that is not readily available,
and when patients do not have the financial resources to pay for costly procedures.MATERIAL AND
METHODS : As a time-bound trial, musculoskeletal injuries that satisfied the inclusion criteria from January
2020 to August 2021 were considered for the study. The study required a minimum of 76 patients,
randomized using a simple random selection approach, with 40 patients assigned to the VAC group and
36 assigned to the CONTROL group. The VAC group received a placebo. Recordings were made of the
length of time that vacuum-assisted closure was utilized, the final wound closure outcome, the costs in
comparison to those of standard dressing changes or free flaps, and a list of any and all complications.
RESULTS : The VAC group had a considerably shorter therapy time (7.85±2.29) compared to the control
group (22.06±8.16). The VAC group showed a considerably larger mean wound size decrease (cm2)
(2.78±2.70) compared to the control group (0.36±0.54). The VAC group had a considerably greater mean
granulation rate (93.86±11.15%) compared to the control group (47.96±19.25). The VAC group showed a
substantially larger mean improvement in wound bed score (14.63±2.00) compared to the control group
(9.83±1.90).Flap surgery, secondary closure, secondary intention, and skin grafting outcome were
32.50%, 17.50%, 10.00%, and 40.00% in the VAC group and 50.00%, 16.67%, 5.56%, and 33.33% in the
control group. Based on outcomes, both groups showed no significant differences. CONCLUSION: The use
of vacuum assisted closure dressing has been proven to be completely risk-free. Therefore, in the case
of acute musculoskeletal injury, vacuum assisted closure dressing can be considered an improved option
for wound treatment.