Surgical debridement is some times employed for complex wound. These cases can be very time consuming requiring extensive dissection in a “piece-meal” fashion to obtain a clean surface. Often surgical debridement is passed over because of these factors, when it is the most appropriate treatment. We present a case report of a complex wound on a 19 year old female trauma patient with multiple injuries, including multiple pelvic fractures. She underwent an open reduction internal fixation with plates and pelvic lag screws. She was transferred to our facility after surgery and was found to have a large full thickness wound, measuring approximately 20 cm by 8 cm, on the left hip from her previous surgery. The patient underwent high-pressure saline liquefaction debridement with the Hydrosurgery System* device with placement of a negative pressure wound therapy device without difficulty. Standard photo documentation was preformed by the operative surgeon before the case. The operative surgeon then prepped the patient, scrubbed into the case, draped the patient and preformed the case. Follow up photos were then obtained. On review of the case several days later it was realized the dramatic reduction in over all operative time, total of time of 19 minutes per the automated timer on the digital camera. Debridement with the high-pressure saline liquefaction debridement device allowed for more efficient and more rapid debridement of this complex wound, in turn decreasing overall costly operating room time. Analysis of estimated cost savings and review overall wound management is discussed.

*Versajet Hydrosurgery System (Smith & Nephew Inc., Largo, Fl).