Surgical Application of Vac Dressings In Obese Patients to Reduce Wound Complications

In an attempt to decrease wound infection incidence and improve healing time of open surgical wounds, vacuum assisted closure (VAC) was developed. This innovative technique provided contained controlled wound irrigation without bacterial aerosolization. A newer customizable subset of the Prevena incision Management System TM called Prevena Peel and Place TM has been released a few months ago. The new model can be cut to specific wound sizes and has a connector that can be attached to the already widely available VAC machines. The versatility and the comparability to older models of Prevena Peel and Place TM have not been tested to this date. The investigators believe that a randomized clinical trial evaluating the use of the Prevena Incision Management System TM for homecare and the use of Prevena Peel and Place TM for inpatients in special populations is warranted. Obese patients (BMI≥30) undergoing open surgery will have decreased surgical site infection rates, improved healing time, better quality of life (QOL) and lower readmission rates with use of Prevena in the post-operative management of surgical incisions.