Researchers have made it possible to develop smart bandage that can distribute healing agents. And allow for real-time monitoring on a single, scalable platform.
The complexity of the ongoing, evolving care needed for chronic wounds places a heavy load on health care systems. Smart wound dressings that monitor infection or provide medicines for healing have become a viable alternative. But up until now, integrating both monitoring and healing capabilities into a single dressing has proven difficult.
Researchers at RMIT University developed a technique for incorporating carbon dots, which are small, multipurpose nanomaterials, into hydrogel dressings that may be used to both monitor and heal wounds. The journal Chemical Engineering Science has published their work.
Carbon dots are biocompatible carbon-based nanoparticles that can be used to image and sense changes in a wound. And combat wound inflammation as therapeutic artificial enzymes (nanozymes).
When the pH of the wound changes due to infection, this new kind of smart wound patch will change color. Smart devices that are portable can simply read the color change. The device automatically releases therapeutic nanozymes into the wound to aid in healing when it detects these infection signals.
By manually applying light pressure to the dressing, these therapeutic nanozymes can also be released, enabling medical professionals or patients to administer extra care if necessary.
The dual nature of this smart wound patch, according to RMIT Ph.D. candidate and study first author Nan Nan, will enable more prompt and efficient clinical intervention. Being able to address potential infection at the earliest opportunity is critical to chronic wound management, making this real-time system a potential game-changer for health care,” she said.
Dr. Haiyan Li, a collaborator and senior lecturer at RMIT’s School of Engineering, stated that their invention overcomes some of the obstacles preventing the commercialization of smart wound dressings by offering a promising and adaptable platform.
