Development of vacuum wound closure system

Abstract

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is a type of wound treatment procedure that utilizes negative pressure in order to enhance the healing ability of the exposed wound bed. It has been proved that NPWT improves the granulation tissue formation on the wound bed exposed to negative pressure. This results in a simpler yet more reliable wound treatment process. However, one major obstacle for this therapy is the relatively high cost of the commercially available vacuum wound therapy equipments.

This report aims to modify & improve the existing design of low cost vacuum wound therapy equipment which is able to perform the required functions for accommodating NPWT. The modifications & improvements encompass the software, electrical, and mechanical departments of the prototype.

Glitches found in the software and electrical departments have been rectified. Furthermore, additional features, including muffler, muffler holder, and safety trap holder are integrated into the prototype. The safety trap and full bottle gauge are reworked in order to increase their robustness.

However, during the final trial of the prototype, the pressure transducer exhibited unexpected behaviour that hinders the overall functionality of the prototype. Due to time constraints and budget limitation, it is not possible to purchase a new transducer that will complete the proposed prototype. Purchasing a new transducer is crucial in order to make the prototype to function properly.