This smart bandage can deliver medications, monitor chronic wounds

Your bandage could soon be powered by technology

Tufts University researchers shared a prototype of smart bandage last week, able to monitor chronic wounds and deliver drugs to stimulate healing . This would effectively turn the bandages of passive treatment into an active part of the healing process.

Dressings include heating elements, built-in pH and temperature sensors that track infection and inflammation, and can deliver good drug treatments based on these measurements.

"We have been able to adopt a new approach to bandages because of the emergence of flexible electronics," said Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the School of Engineering from Tufts University and co-author of the study. A declaration. "Flexible electronics has made possible many portable medical devices, but the bandages have changed little since the early days of medicine."

Medical conditions such as diabetes and burns can cause chronic skin wounds, which often result in infections and amputations. Nearly 15 percent of Medicare beneficiaries had at least one type of chronic wound or infection, according to a recent study. Patients tend to be older and are not able to take care of themselves. A smart bandage could be a game changer.

The integration of pH and temperature sensors is what makes the bandage so "smart". PH is an essential part of monitoring the healing process of a chronic wound. Normal healing wounds have a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, but non-healing wound infections have a pH greater than 6.5. In addition, the temperature is a good indicator of inflammation in and around the wound. The sensors in this bandage help to monitor these conditions.

A microprocessor reads the data from the sensors. If the healing process can use a boost, drug carriers release drugs.

All this is attached to a transparent medical tape, creating a flexible bandage less than 3 mm thick.

The bandages were successfully tested under in vitro conditions. Preclinical studies are underway to determine whether smart dressings have a clinical benefit to stimulate healing over traditional dressings and wound care products.

Tech was incorporated into the front bandages. In 2014, a team of researchers developed an intelligent paint bandage that shines to show the amount of oxygen that a wound receives. And last year, a group of engineers developed a smart bandage that distributes medication on demand.

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