Use of Continuous Topical Oxygen Therapy to Treat Lower-Extremity Surgical Wound Dehiscence: A Retrospective Review.

Background: There is not a singular "gold standard" therapy for managing surgical wound dehiscence (SWD); rather, the goal is expediting wound closure. This study examines the feasibility of using a continuous topical oxygen (cTOT) device as part of a treatment algorithm to treat SWD of the lower extremity.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective analysis of lower-extremity SWD treated with cTOT was conducted via a retrospective chart review. Data were collected for a period of 8 months from January to August 2024. All SWD received the standard of care in addition to cTOT. Patients were seen weekly for evaluation until complete wound closure.

Results: Nine patients were included in this case review. The mean patient age was 52.6 years. SWD occurred after a variety of interventions. All patients' SWD grade was either 3 or 4 according to the World Union of Wound Healing Society Sandy Grading System. The average time from starting TOT to the SWD healing was 52.6 days. In addition, the average estimated SWD surface area based on the wound measurement at the start of delivering TOT was 19.5 cm². The average time to wound healing for all patients was 70 days. After excluding 1 outlier, the average time to wound healing was 59.5 days.

Conclusions: The positive outcomes exhibited in this case series suggest that cTOT is an effective treatment in the management of SWD in patients, regardless of specific surgical intervention. Furthermore, all the SWDs treated with cTOT progressed to wound closure without further need for surgery, hospitalization, or other costly procedures.