Vacuum-assisted closure: A low-cost negative pressure system for wound management

Negative pressure dressings are helpful for humanitarian surgery for healing infected and late-treated large wounds and also wounds with large loss of skin. However, specific commercial device has high costs that are prohibitive for precarious surgery with limited funds and an austere environment. Our idea is to make a negative pressure dressing using only low-cost and non-specific surgical devices. We describe a technical device of negative pressure in which only low-cost disposable medical equipments were used. The vacuum comes from a surgical room electric pump or from a single-use suction canister. Our successful experience suggests that this low-cost alternative method of negative pressure dressing can be safely used in countries with limited health care systems. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.