Determining Properties of Wound Dressings for Negative

Pressure Wound Therapy

Lora Aboulmouna, Lisa Lewicki, Ryan Frye

What is NPWT?The application of sub-atmospheric pressure to a sealed wound for the purpose of removing fluid and stimulating a cellular response through the mechanical stretching of wound tissue.Process:

Material inserted into wound bed Sealant drape Fluid drain tube Vacuum Applied

-50 to -120 mmHg

Pioneer Technology

They aim to discover and create solutions in the healthcare community beginning with advancements in wound care while bridging the gap between healthcare technology and nature. Green healthcare Combined therapy of hyperbaric oxygen and negative

pressure wound therapy Discover the benefits of Sorbact and likelihood of

commercial success

Mentor: Josh Smith, Vice President Advisor: Dr. Jack Fisher, Associate Clinical Professor

of Plastic Surgery

Wound Dressings

Sorbact

Gauze

KCI Foam

Project Goals

To determine

Material resistance Flow rate Pressure gradient Saturation points

of the three materials in a negative pressure environment.

Build a model that provides a controlled environment

Proposed Design Setup

Clinical Pressure Ranges:

-50 to -120 mm Hg

Fluid

VacuumPressure

sensorsBernoulli’s Principle:

Height of water Fluid velocity Vacuum Pressure Density Head losses

Pipe Mesh Membrane

Flow meters

Design Obstacles

Model orientation Mesh barrier Fistula vs. wound Pressure intensity Fluid analog

Water Mimic Plasma (saline)

Future Directions

Determine dimensions of pipe Determine ideal fluid Obtain materials to build model Trial and Error

Orientation Mesh barrier

References Borgquist O, Ingemansson R, Malmsjö M. Wound edge

microvascular blood flow during negative pressure wound therapy: examining the effects of pressures from -10 to -175 mmHg. Plast Reconstr Surg In press.

Ljungh, A, N Yanagisawa, and T Wadström. "Using the principle of hydrophobic interaction to bind and remove wound bacteria." Journal of Wound Care 15.4 (2006): n. pag. Web. 6 Nov 2010.

Smith, Jan, and Peter Robertsson. Method for Dressing a Wound. , 2010. Web. 27 Oct 2010. <http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=ApHVAAAAEBAJ&dq=sorbact>

"Science Behind the Therapy — KCI." Science Behind The Therapy. Web. <http://www.kci1.com/KCI1/sciencebehindthetherapy>.