A device for treating wounds with vacuum and electricity has been presented in Russia
A vacuum aspirator for wound therapy was developed by students of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics and the Institute of Medicine and Psychology of NSU. The aspirator is a device with electric pumps to create negative pressure under the dressing and can be used in the treatment of open wounds, burns, frostbite and purulent surgical infections.
First, a sponge made of polyurethane is applied to the wound, fixed with a sealed film and a connector connected with a tube to the aspirator is installed on top. Through it, exudate (fluid released during inflammation) and purulent contents are sucked out of the wound into a special container.
"Vacuum aspirators are produced in Russia, but their cost is quite high. Our goal is to make the device available to all medical institutions. Our version will be more effective due to the combination of vacuum therapy with other methods, as well as more convenient to use due to management via a web interface," notes Vladislav Goleynov, a university student.
The combination, the young inventor says, is that the wound will also be affected by an electric current through electrodes inserted under the dressing. This will accelerate healing, the authors of the development claim.
The students presented the first prototype of the vacuum aspirator in the summer of 2023 in the clinic of the Research Institute of Clinical and Experimental Lymphology (NICEL). The students were given various recommendations, and already in September they presented the finalized device. Among other things, they made the device more compact and developed software for remote control.
In the near future, the students will move on to testing the device on animals in the NIICEL laboratory. In the future, the device could be used for such complex conditions as necrotizing fasciitis, diabetic foot, obliterative diseases of peripheral arteries, and rejection of skin flaps and grafts.
"All these conditions can cause formidable complications, up to disability and death of the patient. With the help of our device, the risk of their occurrence can be minimized: by 20-50 percent accelerate wound healing, reduce the occurrence of complications and reduce the number of fatalities in certain clinical situations," explains NSU student Alina Gulyaeva.