Efficacy Comparison of Vacuum-Assisted Tube Drainage and Open Drainage in Treatment of Infected Surgical Wound

Objective To compare the effect of vacuum-assisted tube drainage(VATD)with that of open wound drainage in treatment of infected surgical wound.Methods From October 2007 to February 2008,79 patients with a surgical wound infection were enrolled,of which 37(vacuum group)were treated by the vacuum-assisted tube drainage and the other 42(open group)by the open wound drainage.The treatment results of the two therapies were compared.Results Among the 37 patients in the vacuum group the average times of dressing change was(2.5±0.5),the average wound healing time was(7.5±1.4)days,and 32 patients got grade A healing of wound.While among 42 patients in the open group the average times of dressing change was(16.8±1.5),the average wound healing time was(18.0±2.5)days,and 10 patients got grade A healing of wound.The differences in dressing change time,wound healing time and grade A healing rate between the two groups showed statistical significance(t=-14.32,t=-8.07,χ2=31.03,P0.01).And there were significant differences in draining time and quantity between the two groups(P0.01).Conclusion VATD can shorten infected surgical wound healing time and hospital stay,reduce the cost of treatment and alleviate patient's discomfort,thus was proved to be a better alternative to open drainage of the infected surgical wounds.