Chronic wounds not only cause physical and emotional distress but also place a significant financial burden on healthcare systems. To address this issue, researchers at Caltech have developed a new smart bandage that could potentially improve wound treatment outcomes while also reducing costs.
The bandage was developed by Wei Gao, an assistant professor of medical engineering and a Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator at Caltech.
Wei Gao says “There are many different types of chronic wounds, especially in diabetic ulcers and burns that last a long time and cause huge issues for the patient,” Gao says. “There is a demand for technology that can facilitate recovery.” The smart bandages, developed by Wei Gao is not only flexible but it allows them to stay on the skin even as it stretches and moves.
Smart bandages are made of a flexible polymer that contains embedded electronics and medication. They can monitor wound conditions such as pH level, temperature, and the presence of molecules like uric acid or lactate. The bandage can transmit data wirelessly to a computer, deliver medication to the wound, or stimulate tissue growth for faster healing. In animal models, smart bandages showed the ability to provide real-time updates about wound conditions and metabolic states and speed up the healing of chronic infected wounds.
