Vacuum sealing drainage to treat Fournier’s gangrene

Abstract

Abstract Background Vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) is widely applied in complex wound repair. We aimed to compare traditional debridement and drainage and VSD in treating Fournier’s gangrene (FG). Methods Data of patients surgically treated for FG were retrospectively analyzed. Results Of the 36 patients (men: 31, women: 5; mean age: 53.5 ± 11.3 [range: 28–74] years) included in the study, no patients died. Between-group differences regarding sex, age, BMI, time from first debridement to wound healing, number of debridements, FGSI, and shock were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, lesion diameter, colostomy, VAS score, dressing changes, analgesic use, length of hospital stay, and wound reconstruction method (χ2 = 5.43, P = 0.04) exhibited statistically significant differences. Tension-relieving sutures (6 vs. 21) and flap transfer (4 vs. 2) were applied in Groups I and II, respectively. Conclusion VSD can reduce postoperative dressing changes and analgesic use, and shrunk the wound area, thereby reducing flap transfer in wound reconstruction.