Treatment in an Outpatient Setting for a Patient With an Infected, Surgical Wound With Hypergranulation Tissue

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe a multifaceted approach to wound care in an outpatient setting for a patient with an infected, nonhealing surgical wound with hypergranulation tissue following fasciotomy for acute compartment syndrome. A 44-year-old male underwent an anterior and lateral lower extremity compartment fasciotomy and developed a persistent right anterolateral lower leg wound. Thirty-six days after fasciotomy he came to the authors' clinic after 2 failed skin grafts with an infected wound covered in hypergranulation tissue. Treatment included sharp debridement, saline irrigation, patient education, and dressing changes during 9 treatment sessions. The patient's total wound surface area decreased from 5.2 cm x 17.3 cm to 4 cm x 15 cm with increased epithelialization from approximately 40% to 85% after 29 days of treatment. This article demonstrates the positive effect of a multifaceted approach for facilitation of wound healing in a lower extremity wound following fasciotomy.