Novel Abdominal Dressing Removes Fluid as Effectively as Standard of Care

Introduction: Temporary abdominal closure using a visceral protective layer and controlled negative pressure delivered through a reticulated open cell foam* has become the standard of care since its introduction in 2009.  A new foam configuration**, designed to facilitate the medial tissue movement, has recently become available. A key aspect of utilizing this system is the medial tension, purported to assist in minimizing fascial retraction and loss of domain, applied along the wound edges.  Previously, a significant (p<0.05) increase of 31% in medial tissue movement relative to the historical dressing has been reported in swine with the new dressing (1).  The study objective was to evaluate and compare the ability of the two dressings to remove fluid in a benchtop model.

Methods: Dressings (n=9) were installed per Instructions For Use in a model designed to simulate a swollen intestine following laparotomy.  The test system included a standardized leak (0.325 lpm±0.25) and a 900ml bolus of simulated wound fluid.  Each dressing was connected to a therapy unit***; pressure and mass were measured and followed for 30 minutes.  Fluid flow rates were calculated.

Results: The historical and new dressings removed fluid from the test model during the study at comparable rates.  During the initial phase of fluid removal, the averages rate of removal were 179 g/min and 172 g/min, respectively.  Negative pressure values measured in the model showed no differences between the dressings during the course of the 30 minute evaluation.

Conclusions: The new dressing for temporary abdominal closure removes fluid as effectively as the historical dressing in this benchtop model while providing considerably more medial tissue movement.