Patent ID: 8257326

Claim:
A wound therapy apparatus for enhancing healing of a wound, comprising: a wound dressing configured for placement over a wound to define a reservoir over the wound in which a wound contact fluid may be maintained by forming a substantially fluid-tight seal around the wound; an elastic bladder member defined by or within the wound dressing and coupled to a substantially inelastic backing layer by an inner adhesive ring nested within an outer adhesive ring, the outer adhesive ring being independent of, and spaced from, the inner adhesive ring, the elastic bladder member being expandable to exert a pressure on the wound contact fluid within the reservoir; a fluid system in fluid communication with the reservoir for selectively delivering the wound contact fluid to the reservoir; and a pressure system in fluid communication with a pressure application zone defined between the inner and outer adhesive rings of the bladder member for delivering a compressed liquid or gas to the pressure application zone of the bladder member to effect expansion in the bladder member.