In the operation theatre, where precision defines a surgeon’s duty, Dr. Sumita Shankar, a leading plastic surgeon from Guntur, has ventured beyond traditional boundaries. Her pursuit of innovation has resulted in a rare milestone for women surgeons in India — a design patent for a therapeutic sleeve that promises to transform treatment for lymphedema and chronic wounds.
The journey began in the early 2000s, when Dr. Shankar pioneered the use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) in smaller Indian cities, long before it became widely adopted. The therapy saved countless patients from amputations, but preparing the dressings was a time-consuming and complex process, often taking hours.
“I realised that unless the method was simplified, it would never reach the patients who needed it most,” she reflects.
That realization led to her breakthrough — a user-friendly sleeve that delivers NPWT efficiently and effectively. Unlike costly lymphatic pumps, this device can be used even in end-stage cases often neglected by conventional medicine. Already, more than two dozen patients with severe lymphedema have experienced healing and relief through her innovation.