Negative pressure wound closure device
AssigneesUniversity of Massachusetts, Smith & Nephew, Inc.
InventorsRaymond M. Dunn, Victoria Jody Hammond, Edward Yerbury Hartwell, John Kenneth Hicks, Elizabeth Mary Huddleston, Andrew Kelly, Andrew Linton, Mark Richardson, Carl Saxby, Tim Stern
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a negative pressure wound closure system and methods for using such a system. Preferred embodiments of the invention facilitate closure of the wound by preferentially contracting to provide for movement of the tissue. Preferred embodiments can utilize tissue grasping elements to apply a wound closing force to the tissue.
Claims13
A stabilizing structure for insertion into a wound, comprising:
- a collapsible stabilizing structure comprised at least partially of foam and having a plurality of cells in a plane, each cell having at least one wall wherein the stabilizing structure has a length and a width wherein at least three cells extend in a width direction and at least one planar support structure within the stabilizing structure extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane and is parallel to an axis along the length of the stabilizing structure, each cell having a top end and a bottom end with an opening extending through the top and bottom ends in a direction perpendicular to the plane;
- wherein the stabilizing structure has an outer wall for contacting tissue of the wound and is configured to collapse significantly more within the plane than along the direction perpendicular to the plane upon application of negative pressure to the wound;
- and
- wherein the cells are configured to collapse more in the plane along the width direction than along the length of the stabilizing structure such that opposing edges of the wound collapse towards closure of the wound.
A stabilizing structure for insertion into a wound, comprising:
- a plurality of elongate strips arranged generally in parallel along a length of the stabilizing structure wherein at least a portion of each elongate strip has a planar shape;
- and
- a plurality of intervening members connecting the elongate strips, wherein the plurality of intervening members are configured to pivot relative to the strips to allow the plurality of elongate strips to collapse relative to one another along a width of the stabilizing structure, the elongate strips and intervening members defining cells such that the stabilizing structure has at least three cells extending along the width of the stabilizing structure;
- wherein the intervening members between a first strip and a second strip are configured to pivot independently of the intervening members between a second strip and a third strip such that the cells collapse more along the width than along the length of the stabilizing structure upon application of negative pressure to the wound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.