Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind small, flexible, stretchable bandage that speeds healing by 30 percent by delivering electrotherapy directly to the wound site. In an animal study published in the journal Science Advances, the new dressing healed diabetic ulcers in mice much faster than mice without the dressing.
The dressing also actively monitors the healing process and dissolves harmlessly – electrodes and all – into the body after it’s no longer needed. The new device could provide a powerful tool for diabetes patients whose ulcers can lead to a variety of complications, including limb amputation or even death, researchers said.
It is the first bioresorbable dressing capable of delivering electrotherapy and the first example of a smart regenerative system, they said. “For people with diabetes, infections are even more difficult to treat and more dangerous,” said Guillermo A. Ameer of Northwestern University, who co-led the study.
Ameer says “For these patients, there is a great unmet need for cost-effective solutions that actually work for them. Our new dressing is cost-effective, easy to apply, adaptable, comfortable and effective in wound closure to prevent infection and other complications”.
Although the new bandage is an electronic device, the active ingredients that contact the base of the wound are completely absorbable. “As such, the materials naturally disappear after the healing process is complete, preventing any tissue damage that might otherwise be caused by physical extraction,” said Northwestern’s John A. Rogers, who led the study.
One side of the intelligent regeneration system contains two electrodes: a tiny flower-shaped electrode that is placed directly on the wound bed, and a ring-shaped electrode that is placed on healthy tissue and surrounds the entire wound.
The other side of the device includes an energy-harvesting coil to power the system and a near-field communication (NFC) system for real-time wireless data transmission, the researchers said.
They also included sensors that can assess how well the wound is healing. By measuring the resistance of the electrical current through the wound, doctors can monitor progress, the researchers said. The gradual decrease in the current measurement is directly related to the healing process. If the current remains high, then doctors know something is wrong, they added.
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