Temporary Extrathoracic Vacuum Therapy Splint in Chest Wall Reconstruction.

Paradoxical respiration is a sinister consequence of bony chest cage defects which can persist even post chest wall reconstruction. It leads to prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation postoperatively, thereby delaying recovery. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) was applied in early postoperative period to a patient with chest wall defect reconstructed with folded prolene mesh and free anterolateral thigh flap.