Vacuum-assisted wound closure versus alginate for the treatment of deep perivascular wound infections in the groin after vascular surgery.

Background: Vacuum-assisted wound closure (VAC) therapy may heal wounds faster than conventional dressings after surgical debridement of perivascular groin infections after vascular surgery.

Methods: Patients with deep infected wounds (Szilagyi grade III) were surgically revised and left open for secondary healing, then randomized to either VAC or alginate (Sorbalgon) therapy, between February 2007 and November 2011. To test the hypothesis, it was calculated that 42 patients needed to be included (90% power, 5% level of significance).