Portable vacuum assisted closure device promotes wound healing

Objective To assess the drainage of blast wounds with a portable vacuum drainage device made in China（patent number: ZL200920168550.9） in order to provide a new idea for the development of equipments used in early treatment of war wounds. Methods Sixteen blast wounds induced by explosion of a specific type of electric detonations fixed on hips of 8 healthy adult Landrace pigs were divided into experimental group and control group.According to the characteristics of treatment on the battlefield,blast wounds in experimental group were treated with VAC under the pressure of-（50±5）kPa after debridement and sterilization and those in control group were treated with routine redressing.Bacteriology,hydroxyproline and pathology（HE staining） were detected at each time point. Results The bacteria loads were（7.82±0.55）×10³ CFU /g in experimental group and increased to（1.07±0.14）×10⁶ CFU/g in control group（P＜0.05）,while the hydroxyproline was（82.13±2.14）mg/g in experimental group and（39.76±4.37）mg/g in control group（P＜0.05） 3 days after treatment.Pathological examination showed that the wounds were cleaner and the necrotic tissue was less in experimental group with a wealth of new granulation tissue and blood vessels than those in control group 3 days after treatment. Conclusion Portable vacuum drainage device can effectively drain blast wounds and is easy to operate.Further clinical validation is needed.