Advanced wounds, referring to those that are non-healing for more than four weeks, are on the rise around the world. Though wound care technologies are improving, it has been reported that the annual number of ‘below-the-knee’ amputations, a result of infected non-healing wounds, is on the rise in both the United Kingdom and the United States. One method to successfully treat this growing problem in a cost-effective way is to integrate electronics into the process, and create smart bandages.

Wound Monitoring

One of the smart capabilities that bandages can fulfill is the monitoring of the wound healing process. The wound environment presents vastly different characteristics at different phases of the wound healing cycle, which can be detected by smart bandages. By closely monitoring the wound environment, a caregiver can obtain useful information about the wound healing process without uncovering the bandage more than necessary. 

An example of such a product is currently in development at the University of Nottingham in the U.K. Researchers have received funding to start work on a disposable dressing that utilizes fiber optic sensors to monitor biomarkers such as temperature, humidity and pH. Another smart bandage in the news recently comes from researchers at the State University of New York at Binghamton. They have published work regarding wearable electrochemical biosensors that can monitor lactate and oxygen levels within wounds.

Wound Treatment

In addition to monitoring the progress of wound healing, bandages can also take a more active role to accelerate wound healing. Bandages are designed to stay in contact with the wound and can thus provide constant and localized treatment. A simple use of electronics in wound treatment is to apply electrical pulses. Researchers at The Ohio State University have reported that electroceutical wound dressings can be used to treat biofilm infections by disrupting and killing bacteria. Taking this a step further, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have reported on a self-powered bandage that harvests energy from the patient’s movements during breathing to produce electrical pulses at the wound site.

The Future of Smart Bandages

If we combine the two applications of monitoring and treatment together, we approach what the future of smart bandages holds. Recently, researchers at Tufts University have published their work on a smart bandage that both monitors and treats chronic wounds. The device utilizes a combination of temperature and pH sensors for monitoring of wound healing status and a thermo-responsive hydrogel that can be activated to release drugs on demand.

Learn more at www.IDTechEx.com.