Vacuum-Assisted Closure (VAC) Change for a Complex Right Hip Wound
Massachusetts General Hospital
Main Text
Table of Contents
Hip joint infection is a serious health condition that can cause life-threatening septic complications and lead to death. Girdlestone arthroplasty is a well-established treatment option for severe hip joint infections in cases where functional outcomes are not the primary focus.1, 2 Prolonged wound healing in such complex wounds is a major issue, especially among patients with comorbidities. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) is a method of wound management commonly employed as an adjunct to surgery that uses negative pressure to accelerate healing. VAC application involves a process of thorough debridement, sufficient hemostasis, and the use of sterile foam dressings.3 The foam is covered with a film dressing to achieve an air-tight closure, a hole is made in the film, and suction tubing is secured against the foam. The tube is connected to a vacuum pump, which is equipped with a fluid collection container. The machine provides either continuous or intermittent suction, with negative pressure ranging from 50–125 mmHg. The VAC dressings are usually changed every 2–5 days.4
This video is a comprehensive step-by-step demonstration of VAC change for a complex right hip wound. A male patient in his fourth decade, with a history of paralysis beginning in childhood due to a spinal tumor, was admitted to the hospital with a right hip joint infection complicated by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia. Given his immobility at baseline, the patient was deemed a suitable candidate for a Girdlestone procedure, which involved resection of the femoral head and proximal aspect of the femur, resulting in a complex wound with exposed bone.
The complexity of the surgical procedure requires careful preparation, starting with a thorough review of previous operating room (OR) documentation. This preparatory phase is used to predict the nature of wounds, determine the need for additional interventions, and most importantly, count and eliminate the sponges placed during the previous VAC procedure. Failure to remove previously-placed sponges may result in long-term complications.5, 6
The patient was positioned on his left side to ensure optimal access to the right hip. The procedure began with the systematic removal of external drapes and shaving the nearby skin to facilitate future dressing changes. Then, an iodine-based antiseptic solution was applied to prepare the surgical site. The wound was thoroughly inspected and palpated, with special care taken to ensure that all pieces of the black sponge were completely removed. In addition, wound swabs for culture and wound dimension measurements were carefully taken.
Subsequent steps focused on wound cleansing and debridement to optimize healing. Utilizing 3 L of normal saline solution, the wound was irrigated to eliminate clots and minimize the risk of infection. Tissue debridement using a curette and a surgical sponge were employed to remove devitalized tissue with the goal of exposing underlying healthy tissue for optimal healing. While the process may appear aggressive, the stimulation of edge bleeding has been shown to promote tissue perfusion and granulation tissue formation, both of which are important components of the wound healing process.7
After ensuring good hemostasis in the wound bed, a single large piece of sterile sponge was cut to an appropriate shape and size, with a tail passing deep to the femur to simplify future dressing changes. Careful measures were taken to ensure that the foam edges were precisely aligned with the subcutaneous tissue to avoid overlap with surrounding healthy skin, using a stapler to secure the foam. As direct contact with foam can damage healthy skin, the skin was further protected with a plastic film dressing after ensuring that the skin was perfectly dry.8 The appropriate use of plastic lining along the sponge's edges reinforces structural integrity and prevents leakage. Larger pieces of film were used to cover the black foam. Additional plastic strips were strategically placed to reinforce the seal and provide optimal coverage. The importance of applying the film to clean, perfectly dry skin cannot be understated. If the skin surface has any discernible moisture, the seal will be compromised.
The final step included the creation of a foam bridge to avoid having the suction connection under the patient’s hip when in the supine position, which can cause a pressure injury to the skin. VAC tubing was then applied to the foam dressing and connected to the vacuum suction machine. The VAC system has been demonstrated to reduce edema, improve tissue perfusion, and accelerate the process of healing in chronic and acute wounds.9 The decision to perform the VAC change in the OR, particularly for complex wounds or during the early stages of therapy, stems from a prioritization of therapeutic efficacy. The surgical team used the OR’s resources and controlled environment to maximize the therapeutic benefit of the intervention, in an attempt to move the patient closer to optimal wound healing and recovery.
The patient referred to in this video article has given their informed consent to be filmed and is aware that information and images will be published online.
Citations
- Cordero-Ampuero J. Girdlestone procedure: when and why. HIP International. 2012;22(SUPPL.8). doi:10.5301/HIP.2012.9568.
- Oheim R, Gille J, Schoop R, et al. Surgical therapy of hip-joint empyema. Is the Girdlestone arthroplasty still up to date? Int Orthop. 2012;36(5). doi:10.1007/s00264-011-1351-2.
- Agarwal P, Kukrele R, Sharma D. Vacuum assisted closure (VAC)/negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for difficult wounds: a review. J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2019;10(5). doi:10.1016/j.jcot.2019.06.015.
- El-Sabbagh AH. Negative pressure wound therapy: an update. Chinese J Traumatol - Eng Ed. 2017;20(2). doi:10.1016/j.cjtee.2016.09.004.
- Grant-Orser A, Davies P, Singh SS. The lost sponge: patient safety in the operating room. CMAJ. 2012;184(11). doi:10.1503/cmaj.110900.
- McIntyre LK, Jurkovich GJ, Gunn MLD, Maier R V. Gossypiboma: tales of lost sponges and lessons learned. Arch Surg. 2010;145(8). doi:10.1001/archsurg.2010.152.
- Attinger CE, Janis JE, Steinberg J, Schwartz J, Al-Attar A, Couch K. Clinical approach to wounds: débridement and wound bed preparation including the use of dressings and wound-healing adjuvants. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2006;117(7 SUPPL.). doi:10.1097/01.prs.0000225470.42514.8f.
- Baharestani M, Amjad I, Bookout K, et al. VAC Therapy in the management of paediatric wounds: clinical review and experience. Int Wound J. 2009;6(SUPPL. 1). doi:10.1111/j.1742-481X.2009.00607.x.
- Kelm J, Schmitt E, Anagnostakos K. Vacuum-assisted closure in the treatment of early hip joint infections. Int J Med Sci. 2009;6(5). doi:10.7150/ijms.6.241.
Cite this article
Ng-Kamstra J. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) change for a complex right hip wound. J Med Insight. 2024;2024(458). doi:10.24296/jomi/458.
Procedure Outline
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Preparation
- 3. Removal of Foam and Sponges
- 4. Irrigation and Wound Cleaning
- 5. New Sponge Placement
- 6. Stapling Sponge to Wound Edges and Protecting Skin with Plastic Dressing
- 7. Application of Film Seal
- 8. Foam Bridge Creation for Best Positioning of Vacuum Suction
- 9. Application of Vacuum Suction
- 10. Post-op Remarks
- Wound Swabs for Culture Samples
- Measure Wound Dimensions and Take Pictures for Plastics
- Tissue Debridement and Hematoma Removal
Transcription
CHAPTER 1
Hi, my name is Josh Ng-Kamstra.I'm a trauma acute care surgeon at Mass General.Today we're gonna be taking a patientto the operating room for a VAC change.It's not every VAC change that we do in the operating room,but for negative pressure wound therapy,for wounds that are more complex, or more involved,or that we want to take a really good lookin the operating room under deeper anesthesia.Sometimes it's more appropriate to do these VAC changesin the OR rather than at bedside.So this gentleman in particularis a gentleman in his forties.He's had issues with joint and wound infections in the past.He unfortunately experienced paralysis in childhooddue to complications of a spinal tumor.So he presented to hospital after having MSSA bacteremia,was found to have a complex infection of his right hip.Due to the fact that he is paralyzed,he was a candidate for a Girdlestone procedure,which is when the femoral headand the proximal aspect of the femur is resected.Not every patient is a candidate for this kind of procedure.As with that element of bone removed,the patient wouldn't be mobile or ambulatory.But for this patient, that operation would offer himthe best chance of clearing infection.So the orthopedics team took him to the operating rooma couple of days ago and did that procedure.And our team, the acute care surgery team,assisted with wound management and VAC placement.The most important part of planningfor this kind of operation is to reviewthe previous operating room noteto know what kind of wounds you're expecting,what kind of management you'll have to doin addition to the dressing change.And perhaps most importantly, to knowthe number of foreign bodies that were left in the wound.In this case, the number of VAC spongesthat were left in the wound.It's important to remove all of the VAC spongesbefore placing your new VAC'cause if you have retained foreign bodies like that,they can get left behind in the wound for days or weeksand cause major problems for patients.So to prevent that kind of complication,it's important that both the surgeonand the operating room staff is well preparedknowing what needs to come outbefore a new VAC dressing goes in.So in this case, it was a complex wounddue to the Girdlestone procedure with exposed bone.There were a total of five piecesof VAC sponge that were in the wound.
CHAPTER 2
We're gonna start by taking down these outside drapes.So I'm gonna maintain the sterile fieldas much as possible underneath this.Okay. Okay. Okay.And while he's intubated, or while he's under anesthesia,I'm gonna take the opportunity to getsome of this hair off under here for -to protect his comfort in the future.Okay. Okay. Can I get a snap? Nope.Actually it's coming just fine.Yeah. These staples here.Yeah. Okay. Okay.So, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.Okay, can I get scissors, actually? Yeah, okay.So just counting this here.So there's one, two, and then three pieces of sponge here.Okay. Actually, we're good here.And then I'm gonna take this off here. Chuck it in here.Okay.All right, back to you. Just kidding.I know. Thank you, thank you.We should shave a little bit of this down hereand then we'll prep everything in with iodine.I'm all gussied up so I can shave him.And importantly, we have a little bit of giveon his leg here so that we can move things aroundto get into the deep space of the leg.Thank you.Getting all the hair off makessubsequent dressing changes easierif you're not in the operating room.I think we're good.So then we'll prep the rest in with iodineand we'll take the other black sponges outwhen we have everything draped.You want just that one 3 L bag of saline?Yeah, I think just one 3 L bag should be good.Thank you.Okay, thank you.Okay, actually, I'm gonna move that top onebecause we wanna make sure that we haveenough room for our plastic draping.We need some good overlapwith the healthy skin on either side.There we go, okay. Okay.Okay, I just wanna make sure we can still move the legaround a little bit so we can really get in there.There we go. That's good. Okay.Okay, and again, I just wanna make surewe have enough room for our plastic to go down.Okay. Yep.VAC changes don't always have to be donein the operating room, but particularly for complex wounds,and for the first time that a VAC change is done,it can be really helpful to do it in the OR,especially for the acute phases of healing.You really wanna make sure that the spongegets right into where it needs to be.If your sponge is too superficialand doesn't reach the base of the wound,you can have undrained parts of the woundthat don't benefit from the VAC therapy.So that's one of the reasons whywe do it in the operating room,at least for the first, once or twice we do itother than for simple wounds.
CHAPTER 3
Thank you. Okay.Okay. Can I get a snap as well?So, putting staples in the edge of the foamto the skin isn't always necessary.You know, the rule is that you want the foamto meet the edge of the subcutaneous tissue,but you don't want the foam to overlap the healthy skinbecause then it...So there's one piece of sponge that's out, okay.Okay. Yep. You can take that away.So you want the sponge to meet the edge of the skin,but not sit over the healthy skin itself'cause it can damage the healthy skin further.So this is the results of the Girdlestone procedure.So we have the femur here with the femoral head removed.So, let's just be sure we have all of theblack sponge, which is important.So that's the most important thing.Yep. So there's another piece of black sponge.So so far we had one deep piece, and then the second piece,which was on top, and then the three, yeah.So we matched that to our notes from the last time.So I just wanna be sure thatthere's nothing else under here.So now you can see exactly why we decidedto do this in the operating room,just because it's such a deep and complex wound.
So we'll take the wound swab for culture. Yep.What would you like to call this, guys?Right hip, deep wound.Right hip, deep wound, all right.Just for an anaerobic and aerobic?Yep. All right.Okay. Okay.Sorry. Okay.
You want me to track, or? Can we get a ruler?Yep. Yeah, I'll just Put the ruler in. Okay.If you could put it on the side. Yeah. Yep.A little bit more to the side, a little bit. I'm sorry. Okay, yep.Great. Yep. And then do you want one across here?You can put it a little below the wound. Okay, okay.Awesome, great. Okay, and then, you know, it's deep,but I don't think you need a - do you need to do deep measurement?Yeah, I don't need it. Okay, okay.All right, back to you. Okay.So I'm just really examining this wound herejust to be sure that there's noblack sponge left anywhere else.Black sponge can feel surprisinglylike tissue when it's full of fluid.So that is tissue there.And so I felt all the way behind here.Okay, I don't feel any more sponge.Okay, Dr. McElroy, do you want to have a feel as well?Never hurts to have more than one set of hands evaluate.Okay. Okay. Yep, I agree.
CHAPTER 4
And so for our next wound VAC, we're gonna attemptto do this in one piece rather than a couplejust because that's a little bit more reliablein terms of making sure that the pieces come out.So - we'll have one at the top pieceand then one that sort of sits on top of the boneand goes underneath, you know.Can we get some saline?We'll just give it a good wash out.And we'll get this suction.Oh, you have the suction there. Okay.Everybody have eye protection on? Yeah, okay.Yeah, can we get the kick bucket just underneath here?Yeah.Can we get more saline. Okay. Even better. Okay.Okay, we'll just wait for the kick bucket.Yeah, anything to decrease the bacterial load further.So the other thing that we're thinking aboutwhen we're doing this is, you know, subsequent VAC changes.You know, how are we gonna manage those?Is this ready to be done at bedside,or does this need to be done in the OR?The advantage with this patient is thatthis is not a painful wound for himgiven his his paraplegia, but nonetheless,it is quite an involved wound.And so I'm still concerned that in future wound changeswe're still not gonna be able to do a safe,healthy debridement and VAC change just at bedside.So I think at least for the next ORwe'll probably do it again in the OR.Okay, just a little piece of clot there or what?I think so.Can I get a curette? Do you have a curette?I'm just gonna muck this for a second.Yep. Okay. Good.I really wanna kind of see that pink healthy tissue.This is kind of thick fibrous tissue here,so it's not gonna end up being super pink.Okay, can we get a DeBakey?This is where this kind of just looks like clot here,which is gonna be a nidus for further infection.You want a rat tooth or a Bonney?Yeah, can I get a rat tooth? That's a good idea.What do you need? A rat tooth? A rat tooth.Rat tooth.Okay, can I get that curette again.Oops, sorry. Sorry.Okay. Okay.Okay, let me get just another dry sponge.Let me get the DeBakeys again.DeBakey. Yeah. Okay.Okay. Yeah, it's much better. Yeah.Got rid of all the non-viable tissue and clot.Sometimes a bit of rough debridementwith a lap pad is your best bet for soft tissue like this.Ready for more? Yeah.This is just for a little bit of rough debridement, yeah. Yeah. Okay.Can I get a Poole sucker? If you don't, it's fine.It's fine, I think we're good.So the good news with this case is thatit doesn't look like anything islike actively infected right now.It does look like there's a bit of non-viable tissue thatis gonna benefit from us having been here in the ORjust to do a bit of debridement.And this might seem a little rough on the tissue here,but that's precisely what'll sort of stimulatethat little bit of edge bleedingand help with healing in the long run.Getting rid of all of that devitalized stuff on the surface. Okay.Okay. Nice. Okay. Okay.Okay, you happy with that Dr. McElroy?I am. Okay. Okay. Okay.
CHAPTER 5
All right, so we will get our black sponge now.You want a medium or a large?I think let's grab a large,and then we're gonna do arts and crafts with it.So we want to create a limb that will curl through?Yeah, I think so. So... Yeah, so we'll do like...An upper part and then a tail that curls down?Yeah, I love it. And thenthat may even just be enoughif it's like a big thick piece of sponge,and then we will line the edges with the plastic.Yeah, yeah.Okay, that's a big cavity in there.So yeah, we're gonna have to keep coming to the ORto do this for a bit, I think.Yeah, and I'm happy that we got allof the sponges out, which is good.Do you want the strip ones or do you want to do the full - the bigger one?Don't you think like the circle one, if you kind of cut the edge off of itand then tunnel it down and then, you know.I feel like however you do your arts and crafts,you can make it work, but... Yeah, all stop efforts.Just make sure it's not bleeding too much here.Yeah. Looks okay.So she just kind of pushed it down onto the woundjust to use the little outline of itto kind of establish where the edgesof the wound are gonna be.And so Dr. McElroy is gonna kind of cut that shape outand then leave a nice long tail of it,attached to the main body of itso that we can tuck underneath.Yeah.Yeah.Yeah, yeah.We can always cut more off. There you go.And the for this, and then we can probably...And so we want to tunnel it under this -I think, yeah, tunneling it under this way.I think it makes more sense thantunneling it up to the top. Yeah, I can tunnel it this way.Do you think this is too much? Yeah, yeah.Do you want to trim it to here maybe? I think let's...Or do you want to just see how it looks first? Let's leave it for now.Here, let's just trim this bit a little bitso that this top bit will fit nicely.And I want to keep that tail nicely attached there.Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so...That'll be nice down there. Yeah, and then that'll tunnel underneath here.We'll just give this a bit more of a trim.I just have to be careful with the black foamthat you don't end up trimming little bits into the wound.Okay. Okay. Okay.Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.All right, so let's just make surethat this nice tail fits way underneath there.So I'm gonna lift this up if you want.Can I get a packing sponge - or a packing forceps?Thank you, perfect.I think we can actually trim it down. Yeah, probably.Because that's what's there. Yeah, did it go any deeper if we lift it up?Like even if we like... Not really, I think I might be stenting the woundat that point if I do it. Do you know what I mean?Like if we go kind of like that. Okay.Yeah, because then I think that like really fills the space.Okay, so can we get - and I'm actually happy with that.I think we can just leave it in. Yeah, I think it fit there nicely.
CHAPTER 6
Can we get the plastic?And we're gonna cut little strips of this, sothis is where the arts and crafts really starts.And actually, before we do that,let's staple that to the skin.So we'll get the stapler.I'll take the scissors in the meantimeso I can start cutting some little...Okay.It's a two-fer staplerHow many pieces did we do inside? Just one? Just one big one now. Yeah.So now what we're gonna do is we're gonna linethe edges of the wound, and this just protectsthe skin from the effects of the suction.Yeah, and like Dr. McElroy was doing,the most important element of putting the plastic downis making sure that the skin is impeccably dry underneath.Would you like any Mastisol?I think we're actually okay. It's nice and dry here.So I'm just gonna put one more staple there.Yeah, let me get the stapler again. Yeah, that's good. Yeah.Okay, nice and then...Yeah, I have one there, and then one,just maybe one little, a little piece here. Yep.Do you want to do one corner piece here too?Yeah, might as well.Okay, thank you.Okay. Okay.All right, and then we'll get a piece of the plastic sheet,and take a chunk, how big do you want?Like - yeah, something like that.Yeah. I think we need like, yeah,a little more than half there.Yep. Okay.
CHAPTER 7
So, let's go from the bottom here.Okay.Yeah, and particularly for wounds around the bottom end,it's really important that the seal is good.Especially to avoid fecal soiling of this wound.I think we need a little bit more plasticjust at the top here.A little strip maybe.So how is he gonna actually lie, you know?I think if we went here... Yeah, they had a little bit of a skin bridge.Yeah, no, I think that's reasonable.
CHAPTER 8
And can we get another little strip of the black foam?Okay. And so we'll bridge this. I'm just going to cut it so it like...I was going to put this over here to protect that.And then we'll cut it in.Okay.Okay, and then the... Yeah. Skin bridge to protect the skin.Okay, so, I'm cutting a hole in the plastic over thisjust so that this sponge has something to accessin terms of a stream of suction.Okay, and then we'll go like this.Okay. We might. Probably need a second piece.Okay, good overlap there. Yep. And good.Okay. Okay. And just one more strip.Yep. Yep.Okay. Okay, this strip here should make it plenty. Scissors?Okay.Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
CHAPTER 9
This one is coming up.It's coming up a little bit? Okay, wellI think it will be okay. I think it should be fine.Thank you. You're welcome.Is it okay if I take the Bovie? Mm hmm.Okay. Okay.Okay, and the reason why we did this whole skin bridge thingis because this piece, if the patient is layingor sitting on it, can be really damagingto the skin and soft tissues.Even if the patient is insensate, you don't want pressure,areas of high pressure sitting against the skin.So by putting a piece of plastic downand then bridging the foam off to here,when we connect this to suction,this suction will translate through this spongeand go into the wound itself there.Yep, so Dr. McElroy is just testing it.So see how when we apply the suction,all of this suctions in,and so that's gonna be really nice for helping this heal.And we're just gonna look at the edge here.Let's try - do you have a little piece here?Yeah, the thing with doing these,what you really get style points for is using justas much plastic as you need, but not too much plasticbecause that is uncomfortable for the patient and...Okay. Yep.And the more care you take with applying a VAC - that's good.That's good still, there's like a nice dry area here, so...The more care you take with a VACwhen you put it on, the less trouble you'll havewith leaking and other issues after the factbecause that's the most common call from nursing staffwhen they're dealing with VACsis that there's a leakage alarm.Would you like it on regular VAC? Yes, can we wand so I can get the drapes off?And then the other important thing that Dr. McElroydid right away after we put the VAC onis applying suction as soon as possible.because what that does is it prevents, you know,there's always a little bit of blood and fluid,that if you leave it off suction for too longcan start to accumulate up around the edges,and that's what destroys your seal.So, kind of keeping it on suction,and then once the VAC machine is ready,we'll transfer it over.Ready for 125 on low continuous?Perfect, yep. Yep, that's perfect. Yep.Thank you. Thank you.Okay. Okay.Perfect. Perfect.
CHAPTER 10
So we just finished the case.So, as you saw, once we'd positioned the patienton his left side so that we couldfully access that right hip.We positioned him so that we knewwe would have enough mobility in that right legso that we could move the femur bone to make surethat we got all of the foreign bodies outfrom the deep wound space.So, we knew that there were five spongesthat needed to come out, and we counted them all.I got to four and we thought we'd gotten them all,but we knew from the OR reportsthat there was another sponge.And indeed there was one that was very deepin the wound behind the proximal femur.You know, and those sponges can be a little bit deceiving.They can feel like regular tissueonce they're full of fluid.But because we knew what we had to take out,we were able to get all of those VAC pieces out.Once we'd done that, we really made surethat the wound was nice and clean.Taking a patient to the OR allows youanother opportunity to really clean out that wound.So we used 3 L of saline to fully wash the wound.We also made sure that we got rid of any devitalized tissuethat would serve as a nidus for further infection.So we got rid of a little bit of wound debrisat the edges of the wound using a combinationof curette and sponge debridement,and then we got rid of a small hematoma as well.Any of those things can really leadto persistence of infection.Once we were happy that the wound edgeswere nice and healthy, there was a little bitof bleeding from those wound edges.Then we made our preparations to install the new VAC.So this time, we decided to just putone big piece of VAC sponge in,which will save a little bit of that headacheof trying to count out all of the sponges for next time.So we cut the black sponge to size,leaving a nice long tail of spongethat could go deep into the wound behind the proximal femur.Once we'd done that, we used a staplerto approximate the sponge to the wound edges,protected the skin with the plastic dressing,and then put our plastic on top of our black sponge.We then made a skin bridge out to the sideso that the patient wouldn't be layingon top of the suction device,which can cause issues like pressure wounds.Overall, I'm happy with how it went,I do think that this patient's next VAC change will,again, have to be done in the ORjust because it is such a deep woundwith such a high risk of recurrent infectionto really make sure that for the next couple of timeshe has another good washout and VAC change.So that will be in another 48 to 72 hours,depending on how he's doing and when we can get him in.