Development of a Test Platform Mechanically Representative of Human skin for Performance testing of Wound Healing Devices

FDA-approved testing platforms for Advanced Wound Care devices offer a basic understanding of device performance. These platforms, predominantly focus on user safety and device functionality, often neglecting the impact of biomechanical stimulation on enhancing wound healing. For instance, current approaches typically involve taking pressure measurements from a single point and testing on static, flat surfaces. Whilst animal and clinical testing can offer more comprehensive evaluations, these methods are constrained by ethical concerns and high costs, which limit their practical application. Also, they only produce qualitative data. This research introduces a test platform mechanically representative of a human lower limb for testing
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) devices (Smith+Nephew PLC, UK). To enable analysis of lower limb dressing performance under physiologically relevant conditions, with quantitative performance data output.