Negative Pressure Wound healing Flashcards
What are wound vacs used for?
used for management of acute, sub acute and chronic wounds
What are indications for vac?
chronic, full thickness pressure ulcers stage 3/4
venous, arterial wounds
subacute/ acute wounds such as burns, dehisced incisions, skin grafts/ms flaps, post surgical wounds
wounds must be debrided
What is objective for vac?
enhance healing and promote wound closure, remove chronic edema, increase blood flow, remove infectious material
What is theory on how wound care works?
increases tension among adjacent cells which stimulates cell growth/division, helps with contraction of edges/ closure, dressing keeps it moist
mechanical force increases rate of cell proliferation/angiogenisis
What are contraindications?
necrotic tissue/dry wound, OM, malnourished people, gross infections or sepsis
What is purpose of foam?
promotes cell activity and formation of granulation tissue, helps provide uniform distribution, promotes exudate removal
What type of dressing needs to be used with wound vac?
Hydrocolloid to prevent maceration
How often do dressing changes need to be made?
every 2-3 unless infected than every 12 hours
What should negative pressure be set at for acute wounds/ulcers?
125 mmHg and continuous for 48 hours
What should neg. pressure be set at for mesh grafts?
75-125, continuous for duration needed
What should neg pressure be set at for chronic ulcers?
50-75 mm HG, continuous for duration of treatment needed
What are advantages for NPWT?
may cost less, can be used in any setting, keeps moist wound environment, simple user friendly
What are disadvantages?
no standard for use can cause pain and be noisy, may hinder mobility, may cause skin damage, more costly up front
When should you discontinue wound vac?
if there are large amounts of blood in drain, pt cant tolerate pain, no progress over 2 weeks or 2 dressing changes, if wound looks healthy, infxn
