Ambulant vacuum-assisted closure of skin-graft dressing in the lower limbs using a portable mini-VAC device.

A skin graft may fail to adhere to the recipient site because of fluid collecting between the graft and the area being treated. We have devised a simple procedure, consisting of a vacuum-sealed dressing, to fix skin grafts on the lower limbs. A fully portable, battery-operated aspirator continuously draws secretions through a vacuum-sealed dressing, preventing accumulation of fluid underneath the graft. Patients are not confined to bed, thus reducing nursing time. The procedure was applied successfully in seven out of nine patients treated for ulcers of the lower limbs. Copyright 2001 The British Association of Plastic Surgeons.