New strategies and materials in endoscopic vacuum therapy in the lower gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

Endoscopic vacuum therapy is awidespread method in the postoperative treatment of lower and upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract leakage. There is an absence of further technical development of the standardized material from 2007 for the lower GI tract. New strategies and new materials for endoscopic vacuum therapy are presented. Alternative strategies in sponge placement, use of open-pore film drainage, use of amultiple sponge system, rinsing catheter, electronic pumps etc. enable the successful treatment of very complex pelvic defects. The wide variability of pelvic defects often necessitates achange in therapeutic strategies during the course of treatment for an optimized outcome.