anybody know about wound vacs?

Hi seof
Im a homecare nurse and have been working with wound vacs for a very long time.

If you have a slow healing wound, the wound vac is your best option to get it healed quickly. The wound vac basically consists of a black foam material that is cut and gently placed into a wound. If there are areas that tunnel under the skin then the clinician will use a white wet foam to pack it. The wound then is covered with a clear sticky plastic like material to secure it. Then the clinician cuts a small hole thru the clear plastic material right over the wound and places what they call a track pad over it. This is a round soft plastic disc which is attached to a tubing that attaches to the vac unit. THis is secured with the clear plasticy sticky material. The tubing attaches to the vac unit which is relatively small. You can carry it around in a fanny pack. THere is a little cannister which is designed to collect the drainage. When the unit is turned on, then the suction begins. The black foam in the wound sucks down and draws all the yucky drainage out and promotes healing by promoting blood flow to the area. I have done wound vacs on bedsores, leg wounds, chest incisions, abdominal incisions and never have I had any of my patients complain of pain ever.

WE change the vac dressings on monday wed and friday. The unit can be set on constant or intermittent suction depending on what the md orders. If the dressing is secured correctly than the unit is perfectly silent. If you see fluctuations on the suction pressure on the unit or if the unit is noisy it usually means that there is a leak and that its not sealed well enough with the clear plasticy material and then you need to have it redone.

I should know what the battery life is on the unit but I cant remember.

I had a diabetic bilateral amputee who smoked with a 4 inch diameter bedsore about 1 inch deep on his coccyx. He had the wound for over 2 years. WE used the vac in 1999 when the company was just testing it and his wound healed in 6 months after trying everything...and that was a compromised patient.

Please dont be afraid of this treatment. I had a wound after bilateral mastectomy in may and asked for the vac but my doctor closed it in the or instead.

The wound vac is THE BEST wound care intervention I have seen in home health in 24 years of working in the field

ANy questions post again
I will be watching for you

Hugs
Linda T

Hi agan seof
I checked the website for the wound vac and found that the battery life of the kci freedom unit is 12 hours.

If you want to see more google kci wound vacs and you will see what the unit looks like. It also explains how the vac helps wounds heal

Take care

Linda T

survivorbc09 said:

No, sorry I don't know, but,
No, sorry I don't know, but, it is good to see you posting again.

I don't know anything about
I don't know anything about them, but, I hope that someone can give you some information.


Wishing the best!



Hugs, ♥ Lex