Who Places Wound VACs? Qualified Healthcare Providers
Who places wound vacs?
The Quick Answer
**Licensed wound care professionals** place wound VACs: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses (RNs) with wound certification, or physical therapists trained in NPWT application. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and unlicensed personnel **cannot** perform initial placement or complex dressing changes—though they may assist with simple dressing changes under supervision after competency validation.
Why We Ask This
Patients assume any caregiver can manage wound VACs, leading to unsafe attempts at self-placement or inappropriate delegation to untrained staff—risking improper seal application that causes skin trauma, ineffective suction, or wound contamination.
The Practical Science
NPWT application requires assessment of wound bed viability, precise foam sizing to avoid bridging, airtight seal creation with transparent film, and tubing placement to prevent pressure points. Errors in technique increase complication risks: skin tears (15%), maceration (22%), or loss of suction requiring repeat procedures.
In Clinical Practice
A wound care RN places NPWT on a dehisced abdominal incision: trimming black foam to wound dimensions, applying skin protectant to periwound skin, sealing with transparent drape using 'picture-framing' technique, and connecting tubing away from bony prominences—achieving sustained -100 mmHg pressure verified by pump alarm silence.
References & Context
Vacuum-Assisted Closure of a Wound | Johns Hopkins Medicine"A healthcare provider will cover your wound with a foam or gauze wound dressing. An adhesive film will be put over the dressing and wound. This seals the wound. The foam connects to a drainage tube, which leads to a vacuum pump."