SpectroCon: Medical Devices to Aid Wound Healing

SpectroCon's first-generation AutoFlow device (left), and its biological predecessor, the medicinal leech (right) (Photo by Jeff Miller, University of Wisconsin–Madison)

SpectroCon is an innovative research and development company that develops medical devices to aid in wound healing.

Treating Venous Congestion with AutoFlow

SpectroCon's main product, AutoFlow, is used to treat venous congestion, a serious complication of reconstructive microsurgery in which replanted tissue becomes congested with blood.

When surgical repair of congested tissue is not feasible or successful, the only available treatment is the use of live, medicinal leeches. Medicinal leech therapy has substantial limits, including negative perception, unreliability, high costs due to need for increased nursing staff involvement, and an increased possibility of infection.

With a mechanical device that more effectively treats venous congestion, the psychologically traumatic and typically ineffective use of live leeches can be discontinued in modern medicine. SpectroCon is dedicated to providing patients with an effective alternative to postsurgical leech therapy that is geared toward restoring tissue function.

Developing a New Device to Heal Chronic Wounds

SpectroCon is also developing a new medical device that will assist in the healing of chronic wounds. Impaired wound healing can result from tissue injury or reconstructive surgery, and can subsequently cause tissue loss, infection, delayed healing, and increased scarring.

Although large wounds typically have greater disruption of blood supply to injured tissues, smaller wounds in individuals with underlying microvascular diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and peripheral vascular occlusive disease, are also prone to healing difficulties.

The problem of wound healing is a serious clinical issue, which at the present time has few viable solutions. SpectroCon's new device will promote a stronger blood supply and accelerate the process of new blood vessel formation, two critical functions in the management of chronic wounds.