14 DAY TRIAL // A new device could help doctors speed up wound recovery, which usually takes several days, or even weeks. Burns and cuts could all heal a lot faster if the new patent for a "wound sucker" gets approval. The medical gadget is applied on top of the wound, and then it creates a low-pressure area inside its cup, which helps the blood diffuse better in the new tissue, speeding up regeneration.
The device can be controlled via a small, handheld console, and it works by gradually sucking the air from underneath its cup, thus creating a lower-pressure area. It then allows the air to gradually return, equalizing the pressure inside to the one outside. It can be adjusted to pull even more air inside the cup, increasing pressure, if the situation demands it.
Blood is also stimulated to reach the affected tissue quicker than usual, and nutrients find their way to the area faster. All this contributes to the healing effect, but Louis Argenta, a scientist at the Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, says that the fact that the device distorts the wounded tissue periodically could also contribute to its effects. Pending full clinical investigation, the patent is now being reviewed by independent researchers, and Argenta is confident that his invention will soon be used to treat patients worldwide.
Surgical cuts could also heal much faster with the aid of the new apparatus, and the risk of them leaving behind ugly scars will be drastically reduced. This could prove to be beneficial, especially in the case of C-sections, which can sometimes leave women with long scars on their bellies. In case of burn victims, skin transplants could "catch on" a lot better with the new gadget, as doctors and patients will no longer have to wait for the blood to reach the new tissue on its own.