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Tufts University engineers have developed a new prototype bandage that actively monitors the condition of chronic wounds and provides the appropriate drug treatments to improve the chances of healing.
Chronic skin wounds due to burns, diabetes and other medical conditions may, however, researchers have designed bandages with heat-resistant healing elements and drug carriers that provide tailored treatments in response to the integrated pH, and temperature sensors that track the infection and inflammation.
The bandage uses sensors to monitor several key parameters that usually indicate whether a wound is healing
The pH of chronic wounds often indicates whether the wound is healing properly. Normally, wounds that heal are in a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5. However, infected wounds could have a pH well above 6.5.
The temperature can also provide information on the level of inflammation in and around the wound.
A microprocessor reads sensor data and can release drugs on demand. carriers by heating the gel. The entire construct is attached to a transparent medical band to form a flexible bandage of less than three millimeters in thickness.
"The intelligent bandage we created, with pH and temperature probes and the administration of antibiotic drugs, is a prototype for a wide range of possibilities," Sameer Sonkusale, Ph.D., a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Tufts University Engineering School and corresponding co-author for the study, said in a statement. "One can imagine integrating other components, drugs and growth factors that treat different conditions in response to different markers of healing."
New bandages could provide real-time monitoring and treatment with limited intervention patient or caregiver
"We have been able to adopt a new approach to bandages because of the emergence of flexible electronics," said Sonkusale. "In fact, flexible electronics has made possible many portable medical devices, but the bandages have changed little since the early days of medicine.We simply apply modern technology to ancient art in the hope of 39, Improving the Results of an Intractable Problem. "
Nearly 15 percent of Medicare beneficiaries require treatment for at least one type of chronic wound or infection. This represents an annual cost of about $ 28 billion, according to research published in Value in Health
Researchers tested dressings under in vitro conditions, but still need to evaluate them in a clinical context. . Preclinical studies are currently underway to determine their clinical benefits in vivo by facilitating healing over traditional dressings and wound care products.
The study was published in Small .
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