Patent ID: 7699830

Claim:
An apparatus for aspirating, irrigating and/or cleansing wounds, comprising: a fluid flow path, comprising: a conformable wound dressing, comprising a backing layer which is capable of forming a relatively fluid-tight seal or closure over a wound and a wound-facing face, at least one inlet pipe passing through and/or under the wound-facing face and directly or indirectly communicating with at least a fluid reservoir, and at least one outlet pipe passing through and/or under the wound-facing face, wherein a relatively fluid-tight seal or closure is formed over the wound at the point at which each inlet pipe and each outlet pipe passes through and/or under the wound-facing face; and a means for fluid cleansing in direct or indirect communication at least with the outlet pipe configured to retain in the cleansed fluid nutrients, molecules, factors, and/or other components from the wound exudate that aid in proliferation or that are favorable to the wound healing; and a biodegradable scaffold located under the backing layer and configured to be placed in contact with a wound bed in use; a fluid recirculation tube for directing cleansed fluid from the means for fluid cleansing back into the inlet pipe so that nutrients, molecules, factors, and/or other components from the wound exudate that aid in proliferation or that are favorable to the wound healing process are returned to the wound; a device for moving fluid through at least the wound dressing and means for fluid cleansing; and a means for bleeding the fluid flow path to bleed fluid from the recirculation tube; the apparatus being configured such that fluid can be supplied to fill the fluid flow path from the fluid reservoir and such that at least a portion of the fluid flowing through the outlet pipe can be recirculated via the fluid recirculation tube through the fluid flow path.