NU 2008-107 and 2010-108
INVENTOR Elliot Hirsch
BACKGROUND Chronic wounds pose serious health and economic consequences if not properly treated. Wound care costs are estimated between $5-10 billion annually. Infections in wounds impede treatment; bacteria compete with healing tissue for growth and cause other complications. One current option, such as pulse lavage irrigation (PLI) is an extremely messy procedure, and needs to be performed in a controlled environment. Another option, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), is limited to superficial wounds, and not to be used with necrotic tissue or active infections.
ABSTRACT A Northwestern researcher developed a point-of-care pulse lavage system, which allows, for the first time, pulsed lavage wound debridement to be performed at the patient's bedside, anywhere-anytime. This product is disposable, inexpensive and easy to use. It disrupts the current paradigm of hospital based pulsed lavage therapy by taking pulsed lavage out of the hospital operating room and bringing it to the patient's bedside with safety and cost efficiency. It provides a single-use, disposable, "cup-like" device for the application of pulse lavage irrigation (PLI) in a bedside or outpatient setting. Specific applications include user-directed pulse lavage and suction of chronic or acute wounds of any etiology to reduce bioburden and aid healing, as well as acute traumatic wounds serving as an adjunct to mechanical debridement, reducing the chances of infection and the potential for tissue or limb loss. The device could be used by non-physician personnel to treat pressure sores, diabetic wounds, venous stasis ulcers, lymphedema, peripheral vascular disease, non-healing surgical wounds, burn wounds, and other types of chronic wounds. This device also has the potential to allow wounds to be treated at home with outpatient follow-up, which could reduce hospital stays and increase the market for PLI-related equipment.
APPLICATIONS
ADVANTAGES
IP STATUS Issued US Patent No. 8,636,709 and 9,107,985