Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC)

Taking Better Care of Wounds New Device Allows Patients to Go Home Earlier, Heal Faster

Patients at New York-Presbyterian Hospital have long benefited from the Vacuum Assisted Closure, or VAC device, which helps heal wounds faster and more completely than Mother Nature could do on her own.

But now patients at the hospital can get the same high quality VAC treatment at home. Thanks to a partnership between VNSNY and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, VAC machines are now available in a home care setting, where eligible patients can get better in the comfort of their own homes.

The VAC device applies negative pressure to an unhealed wound,according to Kathleen Finlay, a certified wound, ostomy and continence nurse at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. A sponge is applied inside the wound and then attached to the vacuum device. The sucking motion helps to stimulate the production of granulated tissue -- which is necessary for the healing process -- and also the faster drainage of wounds. By removing edema from open wounds quickly and cleanly, the VAC actually encourages the wound to close faster. The treatment program also helps to remove infectious materials from the wound and to provide a moist, closed healing environment.

"For the most part, people don't want to stay in the hospital if they can be treated at home" Kathleen said."If we can do it, we should."

The partnership between VNSNY and New York- Presbyterian came about when the hospital wondered whether VAC care could be given at home as well as in a hospital setting. VNSNY decided to launch a pilot study looking at how VAC care would work for patients in their own homes.Nurses were trained in the use of the VAC device and began educating patients about how to safely use the machine.

"We do education in the hospital and then VNSNY does it again in the home," Kathleen said. "The patient really learns about the benefits and the dangers."

When the patient gets home from the hospital, a VNSNY nurse teaches the patient how to run the machine,how to change dressings, and how to monitor the wound.Then VNSNY nurses will visit a few times a week to change dressings and check on the patient's progress.

Patients must have already used the VAC device in the hospital to be eligible and must be at least 18, willing to be hooked up to the VAC machine for 22 to 24 hours a day, be alert enough to recognize if the machine is malfunctioning, and have a family member or caregiver at home to help monitor the wound and the VAC device.

Kathleen said that the device works best for particular kinds of wounds, including ulcers,pressure sores,and venous leg ulcers. She remembers a case where a liver transplant patient's abdominal surgery wound kept opening up.The VAC device helped to close it up faster and speed the patient's recovery.

Kathleen said she's seen a number of positive outcomes of this innovative partnership between VNSNY and New York-Presbyterian Hospital." The benefits are the continuity of care, quicker discharge from the hospital, and quicker wound healing," she said.