Vacuum therapy for the prevention of suppurations in sutured soft tissue wounds. First experience

Infectious and inflammatory processes in sutured soft tissue wounds are met in 3–22% of cases despite the strict following of aseptic and antiseptic rules, application of new antiseptic agents with high bactericidal effect as well as improved techniques for prevention and management of wound infection.
Objective. To perform a comparative analysis on healing processes in sutured soft tissue wounds after surgical interventions in which purulent-necrotic processes have developed.
Materials and methods. All patients were divided into two groups – main and control. Patients from the main group (n = 58) had vacuum drainage of subcutaneous tissues in sutured wounds after surgery from June 2019 till November 2021. Case-histories of 80 patients from the control group were analyzed retrospectively; the researchers assessed outcomes after surgical management. In these patients, drainage of subcutaneous tissues in sutured wounds after surgery for purulent-necrotic processes in soft tissues was done using the traditional flow-washing technique. Both studied groups were comparable in sex, age and co-morbidity.
Results. In the control group, complications in the form of suppurated lesions were noted in 17 (17.5 %) patients. In 10 (12.5 %) patients with marginal skin necrosis, there was suture dehiscence. None of 58 patients from the main group in whom surgical wounds were treated with the technique of vacuum drainage developed by us had any purulent-septic complications. In all cases, wounds healed with the primary intention.
Conclusion. The technique of vacuum drainage developed by us allowed to achieve better outcomes at the early postoperative period.

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