BACKGROUND: Clinical observations are suggesting accelerated granulation tissue formation in traumatic wounds treated with vacuum-assisted closure (VAC). Aim of this study was to determine the impact of VAC therapy versus alternative Epigard application on local inflammation and neovascularization in traumatic soft tissue wounds. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with traumatic wounds requiring temporary coverage (VAC n = 16; Epigard n = 16) were included. At each change of dressing, samples of wound fluid and serum were collected (n = 80). The cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and fibroblast growth factor-2 were measured by ELISA. Wound biopsies were examined histologically for inflammatory cells and degree of neovascularization present. RESULTS: All cytokines were found to be elevated in wound fluids during both VAC and Epigard treatment, whereas serum concentrations were negligible or not detectable. In wound fluids, significantly higher IL-8 (p < 0.001) and VEGF (p < 0.05) levels were detected during VAC therapy. Furthermore, histologic examination revealed increased neovascularization (p < 0.05) illustrated by CD31 and von Willebrand factor immunohistochemistry in wound biopsies of VAC treatment. In addition, there was an accumulation of neutrophils as well as an augmented expression of VEGF (p < 0.005) in VAC wound biopsies. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that VAC therapy of traumatic wounds leads to increased local IL-8 and VEGF concentrations, which may trigger accumulation of neutrophils and angiogenesis and thus, accelerate neovascularization.

The use of vacuum assisted closure (V.A.C.) therapy in postoperative infections after dorsal spinal surgery was studied retrospectively. Successful treatment was defined as a stable healed wound that showed no signs of acute or chronic infection. The treatment of the infected back wounds consisted of repeated debridement, irrigation and open wound treatment with temporary closure by V.A.C. The instrumentation was exchanged or removed if necessary. Fifteen patients with deep subfascial infections after posterior spinal surgery were treated. The implants were exchanged in seven cases, removed completely in five cases and left without changing in one case. In two cases spinal surgery consisted of laminectomy without instrumentation. In two cases only the wound defects were closed by muscle flap, the remaining ones were closed by delayed suturing. Antibiotic treatment was necessary in all cases. Follow up was possible in 14 patients. One patient showed a new infection after treatment. The study illustrates the usefulness of V.A.C. therapy as a new alternative management for wound conditioning of complex back wounds after deep subfascial infection.

IntroductionFractures and dislocations of the cranio-cervical junction represent one-third of all injuries to the cervical spine. They are usually caused by high-energy trauma such as traffic accident or fall from a great height [3, 9]. Atlantooccipital dislocation (AOD), because of its accompanying injuries to the brain stem and lesions to the vascular structures of the neck, is mostly a lethal injury [11,32,98]. The diagnosis is often overlooked [74]. Recognition of AOD and therapeutic procedures are hampered by the frequent combination of AOD with traumatic brain injury and/or polytrauma. In this article four adult patients with AOD are presented and two showed a long-term survival and were surgically treated. Case reports Case 1A 22-year-old man fell 12 m from a roof, was unconscious and had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of three points for an unknown time. Cardiac arrest and apnea occurred after arrival of the rescue team. Following successful resuscitation and intubation, the patient was transferred to the emergency ward of the University Hospital of Zurich without relaxation or sedation. The GCS was unchanged, pupillary light reactions and vital signs were normal. Except for a generalized brain edema in the computed tomography (CT) scan of the head, there were no pathological findings in the clinical and radiological work-up. After insertion of a subdural catheter for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). On the first posttraumatic day, clinical neurological examination showed bilateral cranial Abstract Traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD) is a rare cervical spine injury and in most cases fatal. Consequently, relatively few case reports of adult patients surviving this injury appeared in the literature. We retrospectively report four patients who survived AOD injury and were treated at our institution. A young man fell from height and a woman was injured in a traffic accident. Both patients survived the injury but died later in the hospital. The third patient had a motorcycle accident and survived with incomplete paraplegia. The last patient, a man involved in a working accident, survived without neurological deficit of the upper extremities. Rigid posterior fixation and complete reduction of the dislocation were applied in last two cases using Cervifix together with a cancellous bone grafting. Previously reported cases of patients surviving AOD are reviewed, and clinical features and operative stabilisation procedures are discussed.