New “smart” dressing identifies and eliminates infection in the wound

Researchers have developed a “smart” a bandage that can identify infection in the wound and prevent infection.

Regular bandages work well for closureof injured skin areas, but to control the healing process and apply medication, they must be removed regularly. So a team at the University of Rhode Island decided to develop a better dressing.

Using advanced technologies, scientists have created a fabric in which nanotubes are placed in individual fibers. They are sensitive to hydrogen peroxide,which is secreted by fibroblasts and macrophages when an infection enters the wound.

Carbon nanotube signals wirelessare read by the wearable device. Further, the data is transmitted, for example, to a smartphone, which will automatically be able to inform the patient or the medical staff.

The existing prototype is only fordiagnosing the presence of infection, but in the future, the team also plans to place living cultured cells inside individual tissue fibers that will help the body fight pathogenic bacteria.

After completing the Petri dish tests, the team will move on to testing on laboratory animals.

Previously, we also reported about the invention of a “smart” patch for healing chronic wounds.

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