Sustained variable negative pressure wound treatment and method of controlling same
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing reduced or negative pressure, and more particularly cyclical reduced pressure, to treat a wound. The system can include a wound dressing, a fluid collection container, a suction source, filters, and conduits. In addition, the system can include a control device and sensors. The sensors may be configured to monitor certain physiological conditions of a patient such as temperature, pressure, blood flow, blood oxygen saturation, pulse, cardiac cycle, and the like. Application of cyclical reduced pressure between two or more values below atmospheric pressure may be synchronized with the physiological conditions monitored by the sensors. Certain embodiments of the system utilize an air reservoir and one or more valves and pressure sensors or gauges to allow for rapid cycling of the level of reduced pressure within the wound dressing between two or more reduced pressure values.
1. A method of operating a negative pressure wound therapy apparatus, the method comprising:
applying, via a fluid flow path, reduced pressure from a suction source to a wound dressing placed over a wound;
monitoring a temperature at the wound using a sensor positioned at least partly in the wound or the wound dressing or positioned adjacent to the wound dressing; and
adjusting the reduced pressure from the suction source by cycling the reduced pressure from the suction source between two different negative pressure values according at least to the temperature at the wound.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adjusting comprises adjusting a frequency of the reduced pressure from the suction source according at least to the temperature at the wound.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adjusting comprises adjusting the reduced pressure from the suction source in response to determining that the temperature at the wound satisfies a threshold.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adjusting comprises adjusting the reduced pressure from the suction source further according to a user input.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cycling comprises cycling the reduced pressure from the suction source in a sinusoidal pattern.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a sensor signal from the sensor via leads that are routed under the wound dressing, and wherein said monitoring comprises monitoring the temperature at the wound using the sensor signal from the senor.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising wirelessly receiving a sensor signal from the sensor, and wherein said monitoring comprises monitoring the temperature at the wound using the sensor signal from the senor.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising activating an alarm according at least to the temperature at the wound.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of sensors.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reduced pressure from the suction source is below atmospheric pressure.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is positioned at least partly in the wound dressing.