Smart Bandages: Smart Bandage for Monitoring and Treatment of Chronic Wounds (Small 33/2018)

Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, Brigham and Women's Hospital Medical School, Biomaterial Innovation Research Center

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Science and Technology Department

Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, Brigham and Women's Hospital Medical School, Biomaterial Innovation Research Center

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Science and Technology Department

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, Brigham and Women's Hospital Medical School, Biomaterial Innovation Research Center

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Science and Technology Department

KU Fusion University of Science and Technology, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Gwangjin, Seoul, Korea

University of California Institute of Nanosystems (CNSI), Los Angeles, California, Chemical Engineering, Biomolecular Engineering, Bioengineering, Bioengineering, Biotechnology

The researcher team at Tufts University has developed an intelligent bandage that monitors wounds and regular medications. It is just a prototype and the techniques detailed in the recent article by Small magazine will someday help change the medicine and the doctor will more closely monitor the condition of the patient and treat them more actively . Sameer Sonkusale, engineering professor at Tufts, the leader of the project, says: "It senses how wounds heal, deliver drugs in the right amount in real time, and speeds cure."

The integration of pH and temperature sensor makes the dress very "smart". pH is an important factor in monitoring the healing process of chronic wounds. The pH of normal healing wounds ranges from 5.5 to 6.5, but the pH of uncured infected wounds is greater than 6.5. In addition, body temperature is an excellent indicator of inflammation in the wound and around the wound. Sensor in this bandage will help monitor these situations

Monitoring wounds is not only left in the bandage - improve the treatment algorithm by sending data to the phone so that the patient or physician can understand the situation, or using aggregate data for research purposes can do. "It is absolutely worthwhile to gather data on various wounds and we hope to improve chronic wound care in the future .If there are all kinds of wounds with these smart bandages, there is no doubt that the possibility There is, "Sonkusale says.

The team envisioned that smart bandage that was originally used to treat chronic skin wounds derived from diabetes. More than 25 million Americans, and over 25% of American adults over 65 years of age may get hurt like that. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that by 2050 cases of diabetes will double or triple. Researchers have applied for patents for their design, but require further animal testing and human testing before marketing. According to Tamayol this may take several years, but the fact that most design components are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration should simplify the process.