Vacuum Assisted Wound Therapy Affordable For All
VATARA is a low-cost, portable suction device designed to expand access to negative pressure wound therapy and uterine suction tamponade. It is built to work with commonly available medical supplies and to support care in hospitals and settings where standard commercial systems may be too expensive or difficult to use.
What is vacuum-assisted wound therapy?
Vacuum-Assisted Wound Therapy, or Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is a safe and effective method to manage acute and chronic wounds. It is widely available and commonly used in high-income countries like the United States. NPWT involves placing a sterile pourous dressing material (usually a sponge or gauze) into the wound, then sealing the wound with an impermeable plastic film. A hole is cut into the dressing into which suction tubing connects the wound to a vacuum pump that applies a gentle negative pressure (-125mmHg) to the wound. This improves healing by promoting granulation tissue formation and removing fluid.
What is uterine suction tamponade?
Uterine suction tamponade (UST) is a treatment for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), the leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide. In this approach, a soft tube or device is placed into the uterus and connected to suction. The gentle negative pressure helps the uterus collapse inward and contract, which can reduce bleeding by compressing the bleeding vessels from the inside. Instead of depending on hospital infrastructure for wall suction, VATARA provides a portable, battery-powered source of suction and expands access to a life-saving maternal health intervention.
Our journey
In 2018, Dr. Christina Dejean presented her version of the "Turtle VAC", a low-cost NPWT device made from an aquarium pump, based on a design by COAN. Dr. Dejean and others published the early results of the Turtle VAC in Haiti here. In 2021, we built Turtle VACs to support colleagues in Cameroon who were in need of NPWT to treat trauma patients.
Based on feedback from Dr. Henry Ndasi at Baptist Hospital Mutengene, Cameroon, we developed our first prototype of the VATARA pump - which reliably provides higher suction (-250mmHg max) and regulatable pressure to accomodate for leaks in the dressing.
We continue to refine our design and have sent VATARA pumps to colleagues in Cameroon, in Haiti after the 2021 earthquake, and to surgeons in Ukraine during the ongoing 2022 Russian Invasion. We are supporting our Cameroonian colleagues in performing a year-long case series to examine the outcomes of their patients with open fractures and contaminated wounds treated with VATARA.
Dr. Dejean in Haiti, 2018
Port-au-Prince, Haiti - August 2021
Mutengene, Cameroon - April 2022
Dnipro, Ukraine - April, 2022
Make a donation
We continue to build VATARA pumps to support our colleagues in Ukraine, Cameroon, and around the world. Email us at info@sonaglobal.org for more information.