Implementation and acceptance rates of a specially designed vacuometer for the vacuum bell treatment of pectus excavatum.

Abstract

Background / PurposeTo report the implementation of a specially designed vacuometer for the ambulatory measurement of the exact negative pressure self-applied by the patient when using the vacuum bell for the treatment of pectus excavatum and to analyze patient satisfaction with the device, by conducting a survey. MethodsBetween October 2018 and June 2020, all patients with pectus excavatum who received a vacuum bell at our Pectus Clinic were provided with a specially designed pectus vacuometer for their personal use. We described the vacuometer, the fundamentals of its development, and the utilization protocol. A survey was conducted evaluating comfort, clarity of instructions, usefulness, simplicity of connection, and likeability. The level of satisfaction was assessed using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (very negative experience) to 5 (very positive experience). The occurrence of skin lesions provoked by the application of the vacuum bell was registered. ResultsFrom 72 submitted surveys, 54 patients answered. Patient demographics comprised 44 (81.5%) males and a mean age of 12.6 ± 6.0 years. The mean initial external pectus depth was 2.0 ± 0.7 cm and the mean duration of treatment was 13.2 ± 8.6 months. No skin lesions were detected while using the vacuum bell and the vacuometer. The mean general satisfaction score was 4.4 ± 0.7 and 83.3% of the respondents did not have any inconvenience with the vacuometer. A patient who considered himself cured was the only dropout during the study. ConclusionsIn this study, we described the feasibility and fundamentals of the application of a specifically designed vacuometer for ambulatory use as an adjunct to the treatment of pectus excavatum with a vacuum bell, and demonstrated a high satisfaction level with the device. In addition, the vacuometer might help avoid skin lesions secondary to the vacuum bell and foster adhesion to treatment. Type of studyTreatment study. Level of evidenceIV