Iran Produces Homegrown Vacuum Therapy Unit

Many patients, such as those with diabetes or some who suffer from acute injuries of a car accident, may develop long-lasting wounds that do not heal easily.

The vacuum therapy system helps the medical team expedite the process of treating patients’ injuries. Failure to heal these wounds may require an organ of the patient’s body to be amputated, or even the person may die. Therefore, a device is needed to scientifically cover the wound from the outside to aid skin formation and wound healing. The vacuum therapy device is the system that performs this task.

Vacuum-assisted closure of a wound is a type of therapy to help wounds heal. It is also known as wound VAC. During the treatment, a device decreases air pressure on the wound. This can help the wound heal more quickly.

The gases in the air around us put pressure on the surface of our bodies. A wound vacuum device removes this pressure over the area of the wound. This can help a wound heal in several ways. It can gently pull fluid from the wound over time. This can reduce swelling, and may help clean the wound and remove bacteria. A wound VAC also helps pull the edges of the wound together.

A wound vacuum system has several parts. A foam or gauze dressing is put directly on the wound. An adhesive film covers and seals the dressing and wound. A drainage tube leads from under the adhesive film and connects to a portable vacuum pump. This pump removes air pressure over the wound. It may does this either constantly. Or it may do it in cycles.

The dressing is changed every 24 to 72 hours. During the therapy, you will need to carry the portable pump everywhere you go.

In 2011, officials of Teb Tajhiz Paya Company announced that they have succeeded in localising vacuum therapy technology for the first time. With their efforts, the company has been able to reduce the weight of this portable device from 12kg to 3kg. Using the consumer feedback, they have made the third generation of the product.

Due to the urgent need for this product in the country, while the foreign manufacturers do not agree to sell this technology to our country, it was domesticised by young Iranian specialists. An upgraded version of the product has been released this year. The fifth version of this product with much higher quality will be released to the health network of the country soon.

Given that if some wounds fail to heal, the patient may face amputation and even death, this knowledge-based product has been able to save the lives of over 7,000 patients. So far 2,000 hospital personnel including nurses and technicians have been trained to use the system correctly.