Introduction: Infection of the facial spaces and the associated exudate can often necessitate surgical intervention. Whilst traditional decompression methodologies have reduced the mortality rate from complications such as Ludwig's Angina, there has been relatively little innovation in the procedure to minimize treatment times and patient distress. Negative pressure wound therapy, which can yield improvements to treatment time, wound healing and patient experience, has gained traction in abscess treatments in other parts of the body but seen limited adoption in maxillofacial surgeries.
Methods: A focused literature review explores the existing treatment methodologies for infected facial space decompression and identifies obstacles to implementing negative pressure wound therapy in maxillofacial surgeries. A novel drainage tool, which features a sleeved sponge over a perforated drainage tube, is proposed. Virtual prototyping and structural analyses of the novel drainage device including a parametric design study are presented.
Results: The parametric study validates the proposed tool's biocompatibility in terms of overall flexural and axial stiffness between the tool and complex structures in the head and neck. Ultimately, this work presents a necessary first step in the development of specialized drainage tools to promote the adoption of negative pressure wound therapy for infections of facial spaces.
Keywords: drainage devices; facial space infection; negative pressure wound therapy; space decompression; vacuum-assisted drainage; virtual prototyping.
© 2021 Bharath and Madabhushi.