VAC-therapy is a wound treatment technique that involves the use of negative pressure to clean the wound surface and accelerate healing. It is performed with the help of special devices that create optimal conditions for the procedure. How much does Ukraine need this technology, how can it help on the front and what must be done to fully meet the needs for such materials? These issues were discussed at the press conference “Vacuum wound therapy: Are there enough resources to save lives?”
Dmytro Sydorenko, Head of the Polytrauma Department, surgeon at the Kyiv City Clinical Emergency Hospital, believes that the developer of the vacuum wound therapy method should be awarded a Nobel Prize.
“Almost all soft tissues surgeries involving vacuum therapy are performed under general anesthesia, and patients don’t feel it. In the postsurgical period, they need to change bandages daily or several times a day, and it is painful. Moreover, this technique speeds up wound healing and prepares the wound for closure,” the doctor explained.
The third aspect is related to the workload of medical personnel. Without vacuum wound therapy, it is currently impossible to show any positive result of patients’ recovery in our realities of war and a large number of injured military and civilians.
After charitable foundations, volunteers and public organizations learned about the benefits of this technology, we managed to bring 4,000 of these devices to Ukraine. This has enabled doctors to provide quality, timely care and advance their efforts in this area. However, the greatest demand is in areas of combat operations.
According to paramedic, tactical medical instructor, and volunteer Olha Klymenko, the use of VAC-therapy reduces the risk of infection. Every time a bandage is changed, the wound is opened and closed. It is always possible that medical personnel who do this can neglect sanitation, etc. Wound VAC therapy protects a wound from harmful things in the air, creating a good environment for healing and accelerating the healing process.
“Nobody wants to think about getting injured. This is a very painful topic. As a tactical medical instructor, I have to tell our defenders that they can get injured, it can happen, because we are not playing computer games. But if this happens, there are certain actions that they must understand, and it is very important for them to understand that they will be able to receive qualified medical care,” the paramedic noted.
How to arrange the provision of consumables? According to the head of the Vacuum Therapy project of the KOLO Charity Foundation Dmytro Afanasyev, they have managed to fully organize all the logistics. Relationships have been established with more than 60 medical institutions, thanks to which realistic requests are received for those consumables that allow them to provide uninterrupted assistance to the number of wounded who are currently there.
In his opinion, there are two things that can help philanthropists continue to provide this assistance.
“Firstly, society should understand that this need exists, and without this, there is no way to help those soldiers who suffered, gave their health so that we could sit here and drink coffee in the morning. And secondly, big business should help. Both big business and ordinary Ukrainians donate a lot for rehabilitation, prosthetics, drones, and EW systems. All this is important. But there should also be at least small donations for the above mentioned purposes. If medical help is provided in a timely manner, the number of amputations will be significantly reduced,” Dmytro Afanasyev noted.
