

$3 Cutting-Edge Healing Device, Field Tested in Haiti  - hariis
http://www.fastcompany.com/1616025/mit-student-develops-cutting-edge-low-cost-healing-for-the-developing-world?partner=yahoobuzz

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nearestneighbor
Wikipedia says: A Cochrane Review of studies published regarding NPWT stated
that there was no evidence that the procedure significantly increased the
healing rate of wounds compared to alternative treatment, calling for more and
better research to be performed before a final conclusion could be reached.

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nooneelse
What "alternative treatment"?

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ck2
Why just Haiti - sell these in drugstores in the USA too (except in the USA I
am sure the markup will be crazy under the guise to pay for R&D)

Some of us can't afford insurance (and still won't in a few years, the fine is
much cheaper) so DIY for $3 sounds great if I needed one instead of a
doctor/hospital visit.

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bhousel
I know that there are similar devices coming on the market in USA soon. The
devices are in FDA trials now, which can take a few years.

Also, I should point out that here in the USA you still should go to a doctor
for your wounds and not try to DIY a bandage. Even these NPWT treatments
described in the article need someone who knows what they're doing to apply
and change the dressings. Remember that you are more likely to die from the
infection than the wound itself!

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pwk
The "cylinder with accordion-like folds" looks like the business end of the
toilet plunger I recently bought, so it's already mass produced and easy to
source cheaply.

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andrewljohnson
I hate to naysay an effort that was obviously intended as a righteous
humanitarian effort, but is testing these devices in Haiti an ethical action?

We have rigorous rules about testing medical treatments on our own citizens,
but it seems that in the time of Haiti's worst crisis, their citizens become
our guinea pigs. Maybe she was helping out lots of people down there, but
maybe she was getting in the way of real, proven medicine. If so, these
Haitians are further suffering so that we can conduct some more medical
research? The article certainly doesn't say these devices brought an iota of
healing to the people of Haiti, and that's a warning sign too.

Even if this was a good singular decision, it's a slippery slope to send
scientists down to disaster sites to test their gizmos.

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nnutter
To be honest, I can barely tell if this is just a troll comment. If you are
serious though, perhaps the testing isn't of the "medical" effectiveness which
appears to be known but rather its "engineering" effectiveness.

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superk
How do you test this? Healing rates are hugely dependant on quirks of the
patient... So you can't really have a control group not using the apartus...
Do you inflict a second, identical wound to the individual to compare which
heals faster?

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rauljara
Natural experiment. You take a whole bunch of people who have naturally
received wounds, classify them as best you can by severity of wound, some
people get suction, some people merely get bandages, and keep track of how
long it takes people to heal. With enough people in the study (probably not
all that many if the effect is as large as the article makes it out to be) any
difference in individual healing time or minor problems in the
mischaracterization of wounds will average out. Problems like this are exactly
why statistical tests take into account things like standard deviation.

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dkokelley
What is the science behind vacuum suction healing? Does anyone have
information on why this works? I see the theory from the article, but I would
love to know more about this.

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flipbrad
as far as I know, it's not particularly clear yet (surprising, since Negative
Pressure Wound Therapy - NPWT - has been around for ages. The USSR had some
guys working on it, inc. Bagoutdinov). Possibly, it's just vacuuming up nasty
crap, keeping the wound moist but not covered in pus. alternatively, it's
directing the growth inwards. lastly, it might be creating conditions
unfavourable to bacterial colonisation (low pressure, low oxygen, etc)

I was reading up about a patent dispute involving precisely this type of
device (connected to an active pump, not this accordion) and the innovation
there was a big of sponge placed in the wound (and then the lot is wrapped in
clingfilm). The pressure it applies - evenly - also seems to help wound
healing, especially by preventing overgrowth, and keeping the clingfilm off
the wound itself.

Just something to note if you want to try this at home.

sterilise everything, kids!

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est
Is NPWT similar to 拔火罐 in China? It also creates a near vacuum negative
pressure using hot air. It's been practiced for thousands of years. And it
also costs about 3 dollars, in RMB.

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jcl
You mean this?: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_cupping>

I think it differs in that fire cupping is not traditionally done over an
existing open wound but rather specific locations on the body (neck, back). It
might be a cheap way to do NWPT, but it would be hard to apply to uneven or
bony areas like joints or hands/feet.

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vladocar
This is brilliant! I love simple and cheap things that can save your life.
Unfortunately the pharmaceutical "mafia" don't have interest in investing in
simple and cheap medicine. So will go on taking expensive medicine that don't
work anyway.

