This smart bandage can deliver drugs, monitor chronic wounds

Researchers at Tufts University monitored chronic wounds and shared prototypes of smart bandages that will provide drugs to promote healing last weekend. This effectively changes the bandage from passive therapy to active part of the healing process.

Bandages include heating elements, built-in pH and temperature sensors for tracking infection and inflammation, and provide appropriate medicines based on these measurements.

Sameer Sonkusale, coauthor of electrical engineering and computer engineering at Tufts University Engineering, said in a statement: "Flexible electronics allows for many wearable medical devices, but bandages have changed little since the onset of medical care."

Diseases such as diabetes and burns cause chronic skin wounds and often cause infections and cuts. According to a recent study, nearly 15% of health insurance beneficiaries suffer from at least one chronic wound or infection. Patients are often old and can not look after themselves. Smart bandage may change game rules

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. Normal healing wounds have a pH of 5 to 5, while uncured infected wounds have a pH above 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

The microprocessor reads data from the sensor. If the healing process can use the booster, the drug carrier can release the drug

Paste them all onto a transparent medical tape to form a flexible bandage less than 3 mm thick.

Bandages were successfully tested under in vitro conditions. Preclinical trials are in progress to determine whether smart dressings have clinical benefit to promote the healing of traditional bandage and wound care products

Tech was previously included in the bandage. In 2014, the researchers team developed a smart paint bandage indicating the oxygen content of the wound. Last year, a group of engineers developed a smart bandage that can be distributed as needed.

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

Tufts engineers designed bandages as closed loops. When slow wound healing or inflammation or signs of infection is detected, it can drop medicine into the wound through a thermal response system. Heat it. The heated particles containing the drug contract to release the drug into the wound. "I want to call it an accurate diagnosis, not everyone has the same treatment plan.The only way to offer medicines on demand is" Sonkusale said

The team at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed bandages that can be used when heating internal fibers. While offering antibiotics and other medicines, the University of Swansea wishes to use a combination of nanotechnology and 5G network to monitor the healing of wounds.