Dr. GabrielThe Prevena Duo Incision Management Platform from Acelity LP Inc. is the first disposable negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) system designed specifically for the management of two closed surgical incisions, including breast reconstruction, vascular harvesting and orthopedic trauma surgeries.
The dual-incision system, which in May became commercially available in the U.S., consists of two easy-to-use, foam-based dressings for management of linear incisions up to 20 cm in length; and an ultra-portable negative pressure therapy unit that delivers -125 mm Hg continuously for up to 7 days.
The Prevena Duo System is applied in the operating room right after the patient is closed using sutures.
“The system is designed specifically for the simultaneous management of two closed surgical incisions,” says Allen Gabriel, M.D., chief of plastic surgery at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash. “The system covers and protects the surgical incision from external contamination, while negative pressure removes fluid and infectious material from this incision.”
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The patient is discharged with the system and is able to resume daily activities the next day. The patient is then seen back in the office 7 days postop, at which time the system is removed.
“Prevena Duo was designed to help reduce postoperative complications in bilateral procedures, like those in breast reconstruction, by helping hold incision edges together and acting as a barrier to external contamination,” Dr. Gabriel tells The Aesthetic Channel.
Postsurgical complications “can lead to an increase length of stay and increased overall costs, which can be a burden to both the patient and the healthcare system,” Dr. Gabriel says.
Dr. Gabriel says there are roughly 8 million Americans who are at risk for healthcare-associated infections, of which surgical site infections constitute more than 20%.
“Infections can also increase the average length of a hospital stay by an extra 9.58 days and cost an additional $38,656,” Dr. Gabriel says. “This represents a significant burden in financial costs and patient outcomes, so there is a significant need for clinicians to address infections.”
With the PREVENA DUO System’s ability to manage two incisions simultaneously with a single, disposable NPWT source, “I believe this will be widely used throughout my practice and the industry,” Dr. Gabriel says.
