The WOCA negative pressure wound therapy device designed for low resource settings

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Global Health
• Wound Care Technology

Background:

• Chronic wounds affect many in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).
• Existing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) devices are often unavailable or unaffordable in LMICs.
• There is a critical need for accessible and cost-effective wound care solutions in these regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the Wound Care (WOCA) system, an affordable and user-friendly NPWT device for LMICs.
• To design NPWT technology suitable for local production, testing, and use in resource-limited settings.
• To improve chronic wound management by increasing access to NPWT.

Main Methods:

• Formulated design requirements based on literature, ISO standards, and expert input.
• Developed the WOCA system with features like adjustable pressure (-75 to -125 mmHg), battery power, and safety alarms.
• Built and tested three prototypes in Nepal, evaluating performance metrics such as pressure control, leakage, and capacity.

Main Results:

• Prototypes demonstrated effective pressure control (125 ± 10% mmHg) and minimal internal leakage (7.5 ± 4.3 mmHg/min).
• The system exhibited adequate reserve capacity (189 ± 16.9 ml/min) and functional overflow protection and alarms.
• The estimated prototype cost was approximately 280 USD, indicating affordability for LMICs.

Conclusions:

• The WOCA system is a locally producible NPWT device capable of safely generating a stable vacuum.
• The developed system addresses the need for affordable and accessible NPWT in LMICs.
• Future clinical trials in LMICs are planned to further validate the WOCA system's efficacy.