Upcoming Change to St. Mary’s VAC Wound Care Process

In our ongoing efforts to align with the practices of other Intermountain Health facilities, the Wound/Ostomy department will be transitioning the responsibility of non-complex wound VAC (NPWT) placements in the OR to our surgical and perioperative teams. Currently, our department is an outlier in this regard.

Key Changes:

• Surgeon and Perioperative Staff Training: Wound Care will train our surgeons and perioperative staff on how to place simple wound VAC dressings. Once trained, they will independently handle these placements in the OR.

• Solventum Training: We will combine St. Mary’s Wound Care Team education with that of our primary NPWT vendor – Solventum (previously KCI). This will assist us with baseline education and support.

• The Wound Care team will continue to assist with complex wound VAC dressing applications. For this, we recommend:

  • Providing 48 hours’ notice for elective cases

  • Scheduling OR times before 3:00 pm.

Educational Opportunities:

• Two training sessions will be offered in December 2024.

• Two additional sessions will be held in January 2025.

• The transition is set to take place by February 1, 2025.

Educational Link  St. Mary's Wound/Ostomy Click 4 Help - Wound VACS

Please email Tana Irwin, Wound/Ostomy Dept (vocera “Wound Team Nurse”) Or call her at (970) 778-2655 or #82016 or contact any of the educators if assistance is needed with this site.

Following the initial training, the Wound Care team will provide quarterly training sessions to ensure ongoing competency and support.

This transition is essential for standardizing our procedures across the system. We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to improving patient care.