The role of co-administration of damage control surgery and vacuum-assisted closure in the treatment of perineal wounds

Turk J Surg. 2018 Jan 3;34(3):229-230. doi: 10.5152/turkjsurg.2017.3257. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Perineal wounds caused by high-kinetic-energy shotgun blasts have a high mortality risk because they are often accompanied by injuries of the anus, rectum, genitourinary system, and extremities. Mortality often results from hemorrhage in the early stage and from multiple organ failure caused by sepsis in the late stage. The primary step in the treatment of patients presenting with perineal wound and hemodynamic instability caused by severe hemorrhage is to control hemorrhage and contamination using damage control surgery. After achieving hemodynamic stability, vacuum-assisted closure can be used to reduce the risks of infection and sepsis. In this report, we present a case who had a perineal wound caused by a mine blast and was successfully treated by damage control surgery and vacuum-assisted closure.

Keywords: Perineal wound; mine blast; vacuum-assisted closure.