New Device Stretches Skin to Close Wounds

 Each era of medicine brings new advances. One of the most recent hot topics is wound care, which is the study and treatment of wounds that don’t heal in a normal and timely fashion. This frustrating and often painful condition is far more common than many realize, since it is almost always covered and out of sight. Intensive research has revealed much about wound care, including new and exciting ways to treat them.

These range from new medicines that can be applied to the surface of the wound, to new therapies that help the body provide a better environment for healing. A fairly old device is essentially a balloon placed under the skin, and gradually inflated, creating extra skin, which is harvested, and then used to “patch” an opening in the skin. If the area of the wound is too diseased, this is not feasible, which is often the case with many chronic wounds.

This basic principle, the amazing ability of skin to stretch and expand, is now being utilized in a medical device that is producing some dramatic results in the field of chronic wounds. The device uses a spring to pull on a wire. The wire is affixed to the edges of a non-healing wound via clips in the skin. The spring produces a constant tension on the wire which gradually draws the edges of the wound together, all thanks to the amazing properties of skin to stretch without weakening.