What to know about wound VAC therapy
Negative pressure wound therapy, which most people call a wound VAC, is a way of dressing a wound that uses controlled suction. A foam or gauze filler is placed in the wound and sealed under a thin, clear film. Tubing runs from that sealed dressing to a portable pump, and the fluid the wound produces collects in a canister attached to it.
The suction is steady and gentle, not strong. Its job is to move fluid away from the wound, protect the wound bed between dressing changes and draw the edges toward each other. A clinician orders the therapy and sets how the pump runs. It is a treatment tool with a beginning and an end, not a permanent device.
What an assessment covers
A care plan for a wound on negative pressure therapy answers practical questions as well as clinical ones. After examining the wound, the treating clinician writes orders, and the plan around them spells out:
- Who changes the dressing and on which days
- Which supplier provides the pump, canisters and dressing kits
- What the goal of therapy is and how progress will be measured
- What to do, and whom to call, if the seal fails or the pump stops
- When the clinician will see the wound again
Gateway’s part is to get that plan to everyone involved and to keep the visits on the calendar.
Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in St. Charles
In St. Charles, the surgeon or wound center that started the therapy may be a long drive away, and repeated round trips with a pump are tiring. Follow-up at home by a partner clinician can take the place of some of those trips, with notes sent back to the ordering surgeon. Many family caregivers here commute and are gone during the day. If that is your household, ask for dressing changes and clinician visits at times someone can be present, and keep a note by the pump listing what its alarms mean and whom to call.
Near the river, St. Charles has older frame and brick houses, some with steep porch steps and narrow staircases. Farther out are ranch homes, split-levels, apartment complexes and newer villas. The city has a wide choice of senior apartments, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers. Gateway arranges partner clinician visits wherever the patient lives. In a private home we plan around the family’s routine. In a facility we coordinate with the charge nurse or wound nurse, and the treating clinician’s orders are shared with staff after each visit.
When care happens at home
Between nursing visits, the household keeps the therapy running. That mostly means ordinary habits: plug the pump in overnight, keep the tubing free of kinks and out from under the body, glance at the canister a few times a day and keep the carrying case off the floor.
A short log helps the clinician: when alarms sounded, when the canister was swapped and anything that looked different. Post the home health agency’s number and the device support line where everyone can find them. Family members are not asked to pack the wound. Ask the nurse to show you exactly what to do if the seal is lost.
Care in skilled nursing and assisted living
Rehabilitation adds movement to the picture. A resident on negative pressure therapy still goes to the therapy gym, transfers in and out of a wheelchair and practices stairs, all with a pump and tubing attached. The treating clinician and facility nurses work out where the tubing runs so it is not sat on or pulled, and therapists learn what an alarm means and whom to tell.
Discharge planning should start early in a rehabilitation stay. Before the resident leaves, the plan should settle which agency will change the dressing at home, whether the facility’s pump stays behind and a home unit must be ordered, and when the wound will next be seen.
Changes to report
Some problems belong to the device, and they still deserve a prompt call to the nurse or treating clinician, because a pump that is off has stopped helping:
- An alarm that keeps returning after the tubing and canister have been checked
- A dressing that is no longer firm and drawn down
- A hissing sound, or a film edge that will not stay stuck
- A pump that will not charge or turn on
- Fluid leaking from under the film
Bleeding is different. If bright red blood is filling the tubing or canister, call 911 and follow the emergency steps in the instructions that came with the pump.
Primary care and overall health
Medicines matter more than usual during negative pressure therapy. Blood thinners and some other drugs raise the chance of bleeding at the wound, so the wound clinician needs an accurate, current list. Never stop or change one on your own. Ask the prescriber.
Pain relief around dressing changes is another common question, and so are drugs that can slow healing, such as long-term steroids. A primary care clinician can review the whole list, including what was added in the hospital, and talk with the wound clinician about concerns. Gateway shares records between the two so neither is working from an old list.
Arranging wound VAC follow-up in St. Charles
You may already have a surgeon, a wound clinic or a home health nurse and still want help with wound VAC follow-up closer to home in St. Charles. That is a fine reason to call 314-325-0126. Tell us who is treating the wound now and what is not working, whether that is the travel, the gaps between appointments or unclear instructions. Gateway does not replace your current clinicians. We can arrange for a partner clinician to see the wound where you live and, with your permission, share notes with the offices already involved so the plans agree.
A little preparation helps. Write down the patient’s full address in St. Charles with the ZIP code (63301, 63303 or 63304), a phone number, the regular doctor and pharmacy, and any recent hospital or rehab stay. Gateway also arranges care in St. Peters, Cottleville, Weldon Spring and the rest of St. Charles County, and across the river in Bridgeton. Some addresses with a St. Charles ZIP code are outside the city limits, so a few words about how to find the house are useful when visit days are confirmed.
- County: St. Charles County, Missouri
- ZIP codes: 63301, 63303, 63304
- Nearby hospitals: SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles; Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital (not affiliated with Gateway)
- Nearby communities: St. Peters, St. Charles County, Bridgeton, Cottleville, Weldon Spring
- Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation
Related care in St. Charles
Read the full guide to wound VAC therapy, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in St. Charles page.
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous leg ulcers
- Pressure injuries and bed sores
- Arterial and mixed wounds
- Non-healing wounds
- Post-surgical wounds
- Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
- Surgical site infections
- Skin tears and traumatic wounds
- Wounds with lymphedema
- Skin graft aftercare
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in St. Peters
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in St. Charles County
Common questions
Can a clinician come to a home in St. Charles to follow a wound VAC?
That is the kind of visit Gateway arranges. A partner clinician examines the wound, reviews how the therapy is going and updates the orders, ideally timed with a dressing change. Visit availability is confirmed by location and care setting, so we check your address and situation first. Call 314-325-0126, with or without a referral. The home health nurse and equipment supplier you already have can usually stay in place.
Do wound VAC dressing changes hurt?
They can be uncomfortable, mostly when the film and filler come off. It varies with the wound and the person. Tell the nurse and the treating clinician if changes are painful, because there are options they can consider, such as the timing of pain medicine you are already prescribed or a different dressing material against the wound. Do not skip or put off a change because of pain without telling the clinician.
Why does the dressing look wrinkled and feel hard?
That is how a working dressing looks. When the pump is running and the seal is airtight, the foam under the film shrinks down and feels firm, a bit like a vacuum-packed bag. If the dressing turns soft, smooth or puffy, suction has probably been lost. Check that the pump is on and the tubing is connected, then call your nurse if it does not draw back down.
How do I refer a resident of a St. Charles nursing facility for wound care?
Call 314-325-0126 or fax the referral to 314-786-7966. Include the resident’s name, the facility name and unit, the reason for referral, recent wound notes and a staff contact. Gateway arranges a partner clinician’s visit at the St. Charles facility and coordinates orders and documentation with your team. The treating clinician makes the clinical decisions, and the resident or family is kept informed.
General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.