[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (www.KCI1.com) today announced an independent, retrospective study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery showed that adjunctive treatment with V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy, using the V.A.C.Ulta™ Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System, demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in operating room (OR) visits, time to final surgical procedure and length of stay compared to traditional V.A.C.® Therapy.*

Negative pressure wound therapy has been proven to help promote wound healing, prepare the wound bed and manage infected wounds when combined with instillation of appropriate wound cleansers and topical solutions. The study results suggest that adding instillation therapy to negative pressure wound therapy enhances its effectiveness.

“Thus far, this is the largest study examining the impact of negative pressure with instillation on wounds requiring surgical intervention for the treatment of infection,” said Christopher E. Attinger, MD, Chief, Division of Wound Healing, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. “Our results indicate a significant impact on patient outcomes as well as potential economic savings. Although the results are intriguing, a more robust prospective study is needed to draw more definitive conclusions.”

The retrospective, historical cohort-controlled study was conducted by physicians at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Center for Wound Healing, and compared V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy with instillation of Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution (B.Braun Medical Inc.) to V.A.C.® Therapy in the treatment of 142 patients with infected wounds that required hospitalization and serial surgical debridement. All patients received appropriate parenteral antibiotics. Sixty-eight patients were treated with V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy with Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution until the foam was visibly saturated for either a 6- or 20-minute dwell time followed by 3.5 or 2 hours of continuous NPWT (-125 mmHg), respectively.

Seventy-four patients received standard NPWT at -125 mmHg continuously. For V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy patients, the study found a statistically significant decrease (p<0.05) in OR visits and time to final surgical procedure (in both 6- and 20-minute dwell groups), and length of stay (in the 20-minute dwell group). To date, this study involved the most systematic examination of the impact of V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy in the adjunctive treatment of the acutely infected wound in an impatient setting.

“It is estimated that the cost of non-healing wounds can be as much as $50 billion each year in the United States alone,” said Joe Woody, president & CEO, KCI. “As the rate of diabetes, obesity and vascular diseases continues to rise, this research suggests that V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy has the potential to help significantly improve the patient experience and reduce the cost of care associated with lengthy hospital stays, multiple OR visits and additional procedures.”