Comparison of Vacuum-assisted Closure and Conventional Dressing Treatment Modalities for Fournier’s Gangrene

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate the etiology and predisposing factors of patients with Fournier’s gangrene (FG)and to compare the results and efficacy of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) treatment with conventional dressings and debridementmethod.Methods: The data of 52 patients diagnosed with FG and treated at our clinic between January 2013 and October 2018 wereanalyzed. Patients diagnosed with FG based on physical examination findings and anamnesis were analyzed. Patients with VACapplied (Group I) and not applied (Group II) were analyzed for demographics, etiology, wound culture results, predisposing factors,FG severity index, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, number of debridements, requirement for analgesia, colostomy, length ofhospital stay, and complications.Results: Group I included 37 patients treated with conventional daily dressings, and Group II included 15 patients who weretreated with VAC. No significant difference was determined between the groups with respect to etiology, microorganism type,or predisposing factors. Length of hospital stay was similar in both groups. Statistically significant differences were observed between the groups with respect to the number of debridements, VAS values, mean number of daily dressings, and use of analgesia(P