The days of ripping off Band-Aids could soon be a thing of the past. Scientists have created a new affordable and flexible electronic cover that not only speeds healing and monitors it wirelessly, but also performs the act of disappearing by being harmlessly absorbed by the body when the job is done. bottom. end.
“Even though it’s an electronic device, the active ingredients that interact with the wound bed are completely resorbable,” said John A. Rogers of Northwestern University, who co-led the study. “So the material naturally disappears once the healing process is complete, avoiding possible damage to the tissue caused by physical extraction.”
Electronic bandages are an emerging technology, but by no means new, and there have been previous developments such as bacteria-killing patches, motion-driven covers, and even a foray into smart dressing. bioabsorbable dressing that delivers electrotherapy to wounds to accelerate healing by up to 30% and relays data on the condition of the injury site for remote monitoring. Scientists at Northwestern University believe this could be a game changer for diabetics and those facing serious complications from pain that often heals slowly.
“When a person is injured, the goal is always to close the wound as quickly as possible,” said Northwestern’s Guillermo A. Ameer, co-director of the study. “Otherwise, open wounds are more susceptible to infection. And for diabetics, infections are even more difficult to treat and more dangerous. There is a great unmet need.Our new bandages are cost effective, easy to apply, adaptable, comfortable and effective in closing wounds to prevent infection and further complications. is.”
This wireless, battery-free bandage gently wraps around the wound, placing the flower-shaped electrode over the injured area and the ring-shaped electrode over healthy tissue. On the other side of the bandage, an energy harvesting coil powers the electrodes and a short-range wireless communication system wirelessly transmits data from the device in real time.
Northwestern University
In a mouse study, researchers applied electrotherapy for 30 minutes a day and found that wounds closed up to 30% faster. During this time, the wound can be monitored wirelessly by measuring the resistance of the current. If the current reading remains high, it may alert the patient’s physician to the fact that the wound is not healing properly and intervene.
“When a wound is trying to heal, it creates a moist environment,” says Ameer. “Then it should dry out as it heals. Moisture changes the current, so it can be detected by tracking the electrical resistance of the wound. That information can then be collected and transmitted wirelessly. Wound Care Management So, ideally, we want to close the wound within a month, and if it takes longer, that delay could cause concern.”
The team wanted to develop a bandage that didn’t need to be removed, and discovered that if the transition metal molybdenum was thin enough, it could biodegrade. I’m here. When the wound is fully healed, the flower-shaped electrode in the sensitive area melts and is absorbed, so there is no burden on the skin.
“We are the first to show that molybdenum can be used as a biodegradable electrode for wound healing,” said Ameer. “After about half a year most of it was gone. And we found that there was very little accumulation in the organs. Nothing unusual. But the amount of metal they use to make these electrodes is It’s so low that I don’t think it’s going to cause much of a problem.”
Researchers now plan to test the smart healer on diabetic ulcers in larger animals, ideally before moving to human studies.
A study was published in a journal scientific progressand Ameer discuss electronic bandages in the video below.
World’s first bioabsorbable electronic bandage heals 30% faster
Source: Northwestern University
