Abstract
Meanwhile vacuum-assisted closure (V.A.C.®) therapy belongs to the standard procedures in cardiovascular surgery. Its intrathoracal application is mentioned in one unique case-report in literature. We like to show our first experiences with this technique demonstrating three cases with pleural infection. One patient with bronchial stump insufficiency, one with pleural empyema and one with penetrating abscess of the chest was treated with V.A.C.®-therapy. We applied a combination of microporous silicon fleece and polyurethan foam in direct neighbourhood to ventilated lung areas inside the thoracic cavity. One patient died of metastasis of his cancer disease, while wound situation and bronchial stump insufficiency could be treated well. Two patients could be treated succesfully and be discharged out of the hospital. No complications due to V.A.C.®-therapy could be seen, such as fistulas of the lung or bleeding of the mediastinal organs. Intrathoracal V.A-C.®-therapy can be performed as a good therapeutic option in the treatment of septic diseases inside the chest.
Schlüsselwörter
Vakuumtherapie - Thoraxchirurgie - Pleuraempyem
Key words
vacuum-assisted closure - thoracic surgery - pleural empyema
Literatur
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