Smart bandage with biosensors could help chronic wounds heal: Study

Most of the time, when someone gets a cut, scrape, burn, or other wound, the body takes care of itself and heals on its own. But this is not always the case. Diabetes can interfere with the healing process and create wounds that will not go away and that could become infected and fester.

These kinds of chronic wounds are not just debilitating for the people suffering from them. They are also a drain on healthcare systems, representing a $25 billion financial burden in the United States alone each year.

A new kind of smart bandage developed at Caltech may make treatment of these wounds easier, more effective, and less expensive. These smart bandages were developed in the lab of Wei Gao, assistant professor of medical engineering, Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, and Ronald and JoAnne Willens Scholar.

Reference:

Ehsan Shirzaei Sani, Canran Wang, Yu Song, Jihong Min, Jiaobing Tu, Samuel A. Solomon, Jiahong Li Https, Jaminelli L. Banks, David G. Armstrong, Wei Gao, A stretchable wireless wearable bioelectronic system for multiplexed monitoring and combination treatment of infected chronic wounds, Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf7388