Hats off to Susan L. Wilcinski, MS, RN, NNP-BC, for recently authoring an excellent article, "Use of a Vacuum-Assisted Device in a Neonate With a Giant Omphalocele."
Published in the June 2010 issue of Advances in Neonatal Care (Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 119-126), she explains the complex process of wound-healing in a neonate due to skin immaturity, a high body surface to weight ratio, sensitivity to pain, increased potential for percutaneous absorption of medication, and an immature immune system.
Susan discusses the use of controlled topical negative pressure across a wound surface, which has been used successfully in adults for the last 15 years, but only recently in neonates. She describes the positive outcome in an infant with a giant omphalocele after seven weeks of intermittent Vacuum-Assisted Closure (V.A.C.) therapy.
Please stop by the Denver Medical Library's reference desk and pick up a copy of it!
