Background: Wound healing is a complex process which includes removal of dead tissues, control of bacterial load, control of inflammation, increased blood flow, formation of granulation tissue, contracture, remodeling of connective tissue matrix and finally maturation. This usually requires lengthy hospital stays and expert nursing home care which is not always possible. Vacuum assisted closure (VAC) also called as Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a new modality of managing chronic and acute wounds.VAC therapy accelerates process of wound healing, thereby, reducing hospital stays and cost of treatment. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of locally constructed Negative pressure wound therapy in orthopaedic patients with acute and chronic wounds. Materials and Methods: VAC was applied after thorough debridement in 21 patients from orthopaedic inward department, Government medical college, Latur, Maharashtra, India. Initial assessment of all the wounds was done. After the thorough debridement, vacuum assisted closure of wounds was done. Negative pressure is set to in between 120­150 mm of Hg. Results: Analysis was done with visual inspection of wounds and end point was taken as completely granulated wound, free of discharge and ready for skin grafting or spontaneous healing with secondary intention. Age distribution of the patients was between 25 to 63 years with mean age of 43 years. There was rapid progress in the wounds with respect to decrease in oedema, formation of granulation tissue, reduction in the size of wound. We were able to cover wounds earlier. This also has reduced hospital stay of the patients and reduced the cost of treatment by a great margin. Conclusion: VAC therapy proves to be a safe and effective treatment modality for soft tissue injuries.

Keywords: Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC); Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT).