While decubitus ulcers, or bedsores, have affected millions of geriatric and other bedridden patients for centuries, little progress has been made in creating a radically successful dermal wound treatment methodology. A solution which prevents the potential tissue damage of adhesion and replaces the ineffectiveness of wet-to-damp gauze dressings, the most common treatment for the removal of necrotic tissue, would be ideal for pressure wound care. PharmAcute, LLC and the Nanofabrication and BIOMEMS Lab of the University of Central Florida (UCF) are designing and fabricating a prototype of a Stages I - III wound care device that will meet the demands of these challenging afflictions. The design introduces several of the most promising of modern materials to date, and also offers a total solution from the care taker's side. This pressure wound portable drip device utilizes several thin, imprinted layers of rubber silicone that allow a timely, continuous release of saline or other treatment solutions to the wound site. The device needs only a quick deflection to activate and can be applied by the caretaker or patient. The team will study both the viability of the working principle of the proposed design, as well as in the feasibility and cost efficiency of manufacturing the device for further commercialization efforts.
There is no single pressure ulcer treatment that has proven effective without causing further tissue damage at the wound site, and extensive treatment plans have become so time consuming for caretakers that patient neglect occurs. Often times, a painful but the most popular method, mechanical debridement, relies on wet dressings that then dry and cling to the wound, so that necrotic tissue is violently ripped off. At least 9000 recorded cases of US nursing home abuse was related to improper wound care during a study performed between 1999 and 2001.
