Abstract
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is prohibitively expensive at the moment and therefore not easily accessible in low-income countries. An additional problem is the requirement of consistent reliable electricity to power the devices. A new low-cost NPWT device was designed from low cost and simple materials and it can be built and operated following a simple set of instructions. The so-called Gravity device was made from parts costing just under £6 GBP (May 2016) and it creates a constant pressure of 125 mmHg. Gravity operated from 4 hours and 40 minutes up to 5 hours and 18 minutes before needing to be reset. This reset can be achieved without patient involvement. Gravity was taken to Kenya by a Doctor on 5 May 2016 to be evaluated. A NPWT device prototype was successfully made and positive feedback was received from Kenya.
DOI
10.1080/03091902.2019.1576791
Publication Date
2019-03-15
Publication Title
Journal of Medical Engineering and Technology
Volume
42
Issue
7
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
ISSN
1464-522X
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
518
Last Page
524
Recommended Citation
Ramadhar, A., Abraham, F., & McAllen, C. (2019) '“Gravity” - a new simple negative pressure wound therapy self-build design for low income countries', Journal of Medical Engineering and Technology, 42(7), pp. 518-524. Taylor & Francis: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03091902.2019.1576791
