They develop a prototype of intelligent bandages for chronic wounds

From the American University of Tufts, the study aims to make these dressings an active paradigm in the face of a persistent and difficult medical challenge, that is to say, offer badistance for the natural healing process in chronic skin wounds caused by burns, diabetes and other conditions.

These models have been designed with heating elements and heat-response drug carriers for customized treatments in response to integrated temperature and pH sensors. infection and inflammation.

The pH of a chronic wound is one of the key parameters to monitor its progress, as well as the temperature that provides information on the level of inflammation in and around the wound.

Although the bandages tested in the laboratory have not yet been evaluated in a clinical context, the research proposes a new approach from "We apply modern technology to an ancient art in the hope of Improve the results of a difficult problem to solve, "he said.

The smart prototypes created by the Tufts team combine, in addition to pH and temperature sensors, flexible sensors for oxygenation, another marker of healing.

These dressings are composed of a microprocessor that reads the data from the sensors and can release the drug at the request of its carriers by heating the gel, which is attached to a transparent medical tape that forms the dressing of less than Thousand Thousand.

The components were selected to keep the cost down and make them disposable, with the exception of the microprocessor, which can be reused, says Sonkusale.

Non-curative chronic wounds are a major medical problem. In most cases, patients are elderly with limited self-care capacity, so these smart dressings could provide real-time monitoring and administration of treatment with limited patient intervention.

ocs / mfg