Acelity V.A.C. Ulta, Safety Information And Application Instructions

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Infected Blood Vessels: Infection may erode blood vessels and weaken the vascular wall
which may increase susceptibility to vessel damage through abrasion or manipulation.
Infected blood vessels are at risk of complications, including bleeding, which,
if uncontrolled, could be potentially fatal. Extreme caution should be used
when V.A.C.
® Therapy or V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy is applied in close proximity
to infected or potentially infected blood vessels. (Refer to Protect Vessels and
Organs
section.)
•
Hemostasis, Anticoagulants and Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors: Patients without
adequate wound hemostasis have an increased risk of bleeding, which, if uncontrolled,
could be potentially fatal. These patients should be treated and monitored in a care
setting deemed appropriate by the treating physician.
Caution should be used in treating patients on doses of anticoagulants or platelet
aggregation inhibitors thought to increase their risk for bleeding (relative to the type
and complexity of the wound). Consideration should be given to the negative pressure
setting and therapy mode used when initiating therapy.
•
Hemostatic Agents Applied at the Wound Site: Non-sutured hemostatic agents (for
example, bone wax, absorbable gelatin sponge or spray wound sealant) may, if disrupted,
increase the risk of bleeding, which, if uncontrolled, could be potentially fatal. Protect
against dislodging such agents. Consideration should be given to the negative pressure
setting and therapy mode used when initiating therapy. (Refer to
Additional Warnings
for V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy section).
•
Sharp Edges: Bone fragments or sharp edges could puncture protective barriers, vessels
or organs causing injury. Any injury could cause bleeding, which, if uncontrolled, could
be potentially fatal. Beware of possible shifting in the relative position of tissues, vessels
or organs within the wound that might increase the possibility of contact with sharp
edges. Sharp edges or bone fragments must be eliminated from the wound area or
covered to prevent them from puncturing blood vessels or organs before the application
of V.A.C.
®
Therapy or V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy. Where possible, completely smooth and
cover any residual edges to decrease the risk of serious or fatal injury, should shifting of
structures occur. Use caution when removing dressing components from the wound so
that wound tissue is not damaged by unprotected sharp edges.
1000 mL Canister: DO NOT USE the 1000 mL canister on patients with a high risk of
bleeding or on patients unable to tolerate a large loss of fluid volume, including children
and the elderly.
Consider the size and weight of the patient, patient condition, wound type,
monitoring capability and care setting when using this canister. This canister is recommended for
acute care (hospital) use only.