V.A.C.
ATS Operations and Maintenance Manual
8
1.
Perform aggressive wound care per physician order prior to V.A.C.
®
Dressing application.
2.
Cut the V.A.C.
®
foam to fit the size and shape of the wound, then place the foam (a) into the
wound cavity. Avoid cutting foam directly over wound to prevent particles from entering wound
bed.
Warning: do not pack the foam into any areas of the wound. Forcing foam dressings in a
compressed manner into any wound is contrary to KCI recommendations.
3.
Size the drape to cover the foam and 3-5 cm of surrounding intact skin. Trim drape if necessary.
Remove the white backing liner (labeled
1
) and place drape on foam. Remove top support layer
(labeled
2
) and pat around drape to ensure an occlusive seal.
4.
Choose a location on the drape where you would like to apply the tubing. At this location, cut a
hole through the drape, approximately 2 cm in diameter, leaving the foam mostly intact. An
alternative is to cut a 2 cm diameter hole into the drape before you lay it down on the foam. Either
process of cutting the drape will work.
Note: Always cut a 2cm hole in the drape. Do not cut a linear “slit” in the drape. When negative
pressure is applied, a slit may collapse and close, preventing negative pressure from reaching the
wound
5.
Remove the backing liner (labeled
1
) from the T.R.A.C.™ Pad. Place the T.R.A.C. Pad on the
drape, with the hole in the center of the T.R.A.C. Pad elbow directly over the hole in the drape.
Gently pat around the T.R.A.C. Pad to ensure complete adhesion. Remove the support layer
(labeled
2
).
6.
Remove the blue handles from the drape and T.R.A.C. Pad, where applicable. Connect dressing
tubing to canister tubing.
7.
Refer to page 9 for canister installation.
NOTE: DO NOT
Cut off the T.R.A.C. Pad and insert the T.R.A.C. tubing into the foam.
This will cause the therapy unit to alarm
CANISTER INSTALLATION AND REMOVAL
APPLYING THE DRESSING
Pouch Contents Identification
2cm
2
1
3
4
5
a
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
V.A.C.
®
FOAM
T.R.A.C.™ PAD
V.A.C.
®
DRAPE
