Silver-impregnated vacuum-assisted closure in the treatment of recalcitrant venous stasis ulcers.

Abstract

Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) has made a significant contribution to the treatment of acute and chronic wounds. Microdeformational forces from the VAC device accelerate granulation tissue formation when compared with moist saline dressing changes. We present 2 patients with multiple comorbid conditions and complex venous stasis ulcers that had persistent purulent drainage after conventional treatment modalities. Only after utilizing silver-impregnated VAC therapy (GranuFoam Silver), combining the antimicrobial benefits of silver with the advantages of VAC technology, were the wound beds adequately prepared for substantial split-thickness skin grafts. Based on these cases, the silver-impregnated VAC device may be a useful adjunct in wound bed preparation when standard therapies have failed to clear infected wounds. This may lead to improved healing rates and overall decreased wound burden in these complex patients.