Successful management of deep surgical-site infection after pulmonary resection using a vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy system

Abstract

We report a case of successful treatment using a vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy system in a patient with deep surgical-site infection after pulmonary resection. An 80-year-old man underwent right S⁹⁺¹⁰ segmentectomy for primary lung cancer. On postoperative day 25, the thoracotomy scar showed a serous putrid dehiscence due to deep surgical-site infection. Although the wound cavity was an enclosed space, the cavity led to the thoracic cavity. After 30 days of irrigation with saline, the VAC therapy system was applied to the wound with very low suction. The patient was subsequently discharged within a month. The VAC therapy system appears to be a safe, useful device that can achieve almost complete wound healing.