Negative pressure pump

For some reason, and nobody knows exactly why, the healing process for open wounds can be sped up by applying suction to them under a tightly-sealed bandage. The negative pressure this creates has been benefiting patients for decades but because mechanical pumps are expensive and they need a constant electricity supply the technology is not readily available, often where it is needed most - in the developing world. Students at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineering class have been able to develop a basic negative pressure pump that doesn't require electricity, is cheap to manufacture, lightweight to transport and can be left in place for days.

Doctors speculate that negative pressure helps draw bacteria and fluid away from a wound, keeping it cleaner and hence, encouraging faster healing. Negative pressure dressings can also be left in place much longer than traditional dressings which need to be removed and replaced - sometimes painfully - often multiple times per day. But with the negative pressure system dressings can be left in place for a few days.

Source: gizmag.comAdded: 21 April 2010