Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
The most recent articles from:
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg
-
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Mar 2011
Comparative StudyEffects of foam or gauze on sternum wound contraction, distension and heart and lung damage during negative-pressure wound therapy of porcine sternotomy wounds.
The study was performed to compare the effects of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) using gauze and foam on wound edge movement and the macroscopic appearance of the heart and lungs after NPWT. Sternotomy wounds were created in 6×70 kg pigs. Negative pressures of -40, -70, -120 and -160 mmHg were applied and the following were evaluated: wound contraction, distension and the macroscopic appearance of the heart and lungs after NPWT. ⋯ The study shows that foam allows greater wound contraction and distension than gauze. This movement of the wound edges may cause damage to the underlying organs. There is less damage to the heart and lungs when using gauze than foam.