Hydrosurgical Debridement on Chronic Wounds
The high-powered parallel waterjet is a new surgical debridement tool that precisely removes tissue using a high-energy water beam. In this retrospective study, 20 patients with chronic wounds who were operatively debrided with the high-powered parallel waterjet were compared with 14 chronic wound patients debrided with conventional instruments. The hydrosurgery patients required a mean of 1.14 surgeries to obtain a prepared wound bed compared to 2.0 surgeries for conventional patients. This improvement in patient outcomes resulted in approximate savings of $2,800 for the hospital, per patient, when using the waterjet. The introduction of this new surgical technology has changed the paradigm for surgical debridement of chronic wounds.
Chronic wounds affect many people, causing morbidity, interference with quality of life, hardship for the patient, and economic strain on the healthcare system. In order for chronic wounds to be treated effectively, several conditions must be met. An appropriate diagnosis is critical because treatment of the underlying or associated pathology is important in resolving these ulcers. Once these basic issues are addressed, the direct management of the ulcer requires a process of wound bed preparation. The concept of wound bed preparation evolved as a means of codifying the process of converting a chronic wound into a wound with the potential to heal. The acronym "TIME" describes this process: "T" refers to the need to remove necrotic and diseased tissue; "I" indicates the need to control bacterial burden and infection; "M" refers to restoration of moisture balance; "E" stands for the healing edge, which essentially means the point at which the wound is optimally primed for healing. Surgical debridement is a technique for rapidly accomplishing the "TIM" components of wound bed preparation. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new surgical instrument (Versajetâ„¢ Hydrosurgery System, Smith & Nephew, Hull, UK) that utilizes a high-powered parallel waterjet for wound debridement. This study assesses the clinical and economic impact of this new technology when used to debride chronic wounds in an operating room.
Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
The high-powered parallel waterjet is a new surgical debridement tool that precisely removes tissue using a high-energy water beam. In this retrospective study, 20 patients with chronic wounds who were operatively debrided with the high-powered parallel waterjet were compared with 14 chronic wound patients debrided with conventional instruments. The hydrosurgery patients required a mean of 1.14 surgeries to obtain a prepared wound bed compared to 2.0 surgeries for conventional patients. This improvement in patient outcomes resulted in approximate savings of $2,800 for the hospital, per patient, when using the waterjet. The introduction of this new surgical technology has changed the paradigm for surgical debridement of chronic wounds.
Introduction
Chronic wounds affect many people, causing morbidity, interference with quality of life, hardship for the patient, and economic strain on the healthcare system. In order for chronic wounds to be treated effectively, several conditions must be met. An appropriate diagnosis is critical because treatment of the underlying or associated pathology is important in resolving these ulcers. Once these basic issues are addressed, the direct management of the ulcer requires a process of wound bed preparation. The concept of wound bed preparation evolved as a means of codifying the process of converting a chronic wound into a wound with the potential to heal. The acronym "TIME" describes this process: "T" refers to the need to remove necrotic and diseased tissue; "I" indicates the need to control bacterial burden and infection; "M" refers to restoration of moisture balance; "E" stands for the healing edge, which essentially means the point at which the wound is optimally primed for healing. Surgical debridement is a technique for rapidly accomplishing the "TIM" components of wound bed preparation. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new surgical instrument (Versajetâ„¢ Hydrosurgery System, Smith & Nephew, Hull, UK) that utilizes a high-powered parallel waterjet for wound debridement. This study assesses the clinical and economic impact of this new technology when used to debride chronic wounds in an operating room.
SHARE
