Wound Vacuum Therapy for Emergency Medical Center

From the first days of the war, we, the KOLO Charitable Foundation, have been actively involved in many areas of support: assistance to the defense forces; assistance to medical institutions of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine; assistance to the victims of the war. 

One of the important projects for society that we are implementing in cooperation with key medical institutions in Ukraine in coordination with representatives of the Ministry of Health is the project of vacuum wound therapy, which is critical during large-scale hostilities. 

Vacuum therapy devices do not treat wounds without consumables. Consumables for the devices are in constant short supply in medical institutions. Medical institutions cannot meet the need for consumables on their own using budgetary funds. Since April 2022, the KOLO Foundation has delivered 380 devices and consumables worth $1.7 million to 56 medical institutions. 

Unfortunately, the method of vacuum therapy is little known among people not involved in medicine, and therefore receives very little attention and funds from philanthropists, unlike prosthetics, which is funded by the state, numerous foundations, and donors. However, it is necessary to draw public attention to the fact that in many cases amputation can be avoided thanks to the method of vacuum wound therapy.

The State Institution “Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” operates in the field of emergency medical care at the pre-hospital and hospital stages and is the main institution of the state service of disaster medicine in Ukraine. Disaster medicine teams are actively involved in the work in the de-occupied territories and in the inter-hospital transportation of sick and injured civilians and military.

Through this project, we plan to purchase 2 vacuum wound therapy devices, containers and consumables for them (per 100 wounded), as well as Y-connectors and films for vacuum therapy.  The funds raised will make it possible to provide continuous, most effective medical care to victims during transportation from one medical facility to another, so that the treatment process does not stop for a minute while a seriously injured person is being transported.

It will be as follows: the patient is disconnected from the vacuum therapy device in the medical facility and immediately connected to the vacuum therapy device by the evacuation team. The patient remains connected to the device during the entire transportation route and the treatment process does not stop. When the patient arrives at another medical facility, he or she is disconnected from the evacuation team's device and immediately connected to the vacuum therapy device of the medical facility. Thus, the treatment process does not stop, and wounds heal without complications, quickly and effectively.