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.
How the care plan is built
Before continuing negative pressure therapy, the treating clinician checks that it is still safe and appropriate for this wound. Reasons to pause or change course include:
- Dead tissue that has not been cleared from the wound
- Signs of infection in the wound, the surrounding skin or the bone underneath
- Bleeding, or a wound bed that sits close to a blood vessel
- Skin that is breaking down under the film
- Measurements that have stopped improving
None of these is a decision for a patient, a family member or Gateway to make. If the clinician finds one, the plan may shift to a different dressing, further testing or a return visit to the surgeon who ordered the therapy.
Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in St. Louis County
Skilled nursing facilities and senior living communities sit close to the residential streets in St. Louis County, so people on negative pressure therapy often move between settings: hospital to rehabilitation, then back to a house they have lived in for decades. Each move is a point where the pump, the supplier or the dressing schedule can change. Gateway keeps the wound records and current orders moving with the person, so the partner clinician who follows the wound in the facility or at home begins from the last measurements instead of starting over.
Housing in St. Louis County changes by area. The inner suburbs and Mid County have older brick homes, two-story houses and apartment buildings. North County and South County have many one-story ranch homes on quiet streets. West County has newer subdivisions, condominiums and villas. Every part of the county also has skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation centers. Gateway arranges visits from partner clinicians in each of these settings and handles the scheduling, records, orders and supplies around the visit, whether the address is a house, an apartment or a facility room.
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.
For residents of nursing and senior living communities
In a skilled nursing facility, the nurses on the unit change the dressing and answer the pump’s alarms, across every shift and the weekend crew. The treating clinician’s orders need to reach all of them, not only the wound nurse who was present for the visit.
Gateway arranges clinician visits on days that fit the facility’s dressing schedule and sends visit notes and updated orders through the facility’s own process, so the attending physician and the director of nursing see them. A clear written step for what to do when the seal fails keeps a night-shift alarm from turning into a lost day of therapy.
Signs to tell the clinician about
When you call about a wound VAC, a few details help the nurse or treating clinician act quickly: what the pump screen says, when the dressing was last changed and what the canister holds. Call promptly for:
- A canister that has filled since the last check
- Drainage that changes from pale or pink to dark, bloody or cloudy
- A dressing that has come loose and cannot be sealed again
- A new bad smell from the wound area
- The person seeming more tired, feverish or unwell
If there is steady bleeding, bright red blood in the tubing, chest pain or trouble breathing, call 911 first and make other calls afterward.
Why primary care matters here
A wound that drains into a canister is losing fluid and protein every day, and the body has to replace both while also building new tissue. That makes eating and drinking part of the wound plan. A primary care clinician can check weight trends, appetite and lab work, and can address nausea, swallowing trouble or a low mood that keeps someone from eating.
Gateway arranges primary care alongside wound care so these questions do not wait for a separate office trip. When the two clinicians share notes, a stalled wound prompts a look at nutrition, not only at the dressing.
How to get started in St. Louis County
People asking about wound VAC follow-up in St. Louis County usually want to know what the first visit involves. Before it, Gateway collects the records the treating clinician asks for and confirms the time and place with you. During it, the clinician looks at the wound and the skin around it, measures it, asks about your health and medications and explains what they recommend. Afterward, the orders go to whoever does the daily care, supplies are requested and a follow-up is planned. Our guide to how mobile wound care visits work has more. To begin, call 314-325-0126. Whether a visit can be arranged is confirmed for your location.
Start with the municipality or ZIP code when you call 314-325-0126, because the same street name can appear in more than one St. Louis County town. Have the patient’s name, a phone number, the regular doctor’s name and any discharge papers within reach. Gateway also coordinates care in North County, South County, Chesterfield and West County, Clayton and Central County, Kirkwood and Florissant. Visit availability is confirmed by address and care setting, so the exact location helps us answer accurately.
- County: St. Louis County, Missouri
- Nearby hospitals: Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur; Missouri Baptist Medical Center in Town and Country; St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield; Mercy Hospital South; Christian Hospital in North County; SSM Health DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton; SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond Heights; SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton (not affiliated with Gateway)
- Nearby communities: North County, South County, Chesterfield and West County, Clayton and Central County, Kirkwood, Florissant
- Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation
Related care in St. Louis County
Read the full guide to wound VAC therapy, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in St. Louis County 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 North County
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in South County
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in Chesterfield and West County
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in Clayton and Central County
Common questions
My parent is being discharged to St. Louis County with a wound VAC. What should be in place first?
Ask the discharge planner four things: which home health agency will change the dressing and on what days, which supplier is sending the home pump and when it arrives, who will follow the wound after discharge, and whom to call after hours. Get the current orders and latest measurements in writing. Gateway can help arrange follow-up with a partner clinician and gather those records. Call 314-325-0126.
What happens if the power goes out while I am on a wound VAC?
Portable pumps run on a rechargeable battery, so a short outage is usually not a problem if the pump has been kept charged. Check your device instructions for how long the battery lasts, and plug the pump in whenever you are resting. If it will be off longer than your instructions allow, call the nurse or the number your clinician gave you and ask what should be done with the dressing.
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.
I live out of state. Can I set up care for a parent in St. Louis County?
You can. Family members can call Gateway directly, with or without a referral, from anywhere. Tell us your parent’s address in St. Louis County, the best phone number for them and for you, and who their doctor is. With your parent’s agreement, we coordinate the visit and keep you informed by phone, so you are not relying on secondhand updates.
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.