A smart bandage to heal old wounds
Injuries that fail to heal within three months, such as many diabetic foot ulcers, can require years of treatment and significant healthcare resources.
Associate Professor Atif Shamim from the Electrical Engineering program at KAUST and his Ph.D. student Muhammad Farooqui set out to design a smart bandage that monitors three health parameters simultaneously—bleeding, pH levels and external pressure—to provide real-time updates on wound status using wireless technology.
The team's consultations with medical professionals revealed that variations in a wound's pH level may indicate bacterial attacks. Combining this data with warnings about excess blood or pressure could alert users of the need for attention and help prevent ulcers from becoming chronic.
Producing multi-component sensors on stretchy bandage strips required a rethink about traditional microscale fabrication. Shamim and Farooqui used inkjet printing to directly pattern conductive carbon and silver ink onto plastic substrates.
On-body testing showed the bandage could communicate with a smartphone-like receiver up to 60 meters away, sending warnings such as "change bandage" when simulated blood conditions demanded it. Furthermore, the device was robust enough to be worn for an extended time and for its wearer to bend often.
"With our smart bandage, long-term collection of medical data becomes reasonable and convenient," said Shamim. "This could change how the healthcare industry operates, and we are working to translate it into a useful real-world product for chronic wound sufferers."
Injuries that fail to heal within three months, such as many diabetic foot ulcers, can require years of treatment and significant healthcare resources.
Associate Professor Atif Shamim from the Electrical Engineering program at KAUST and his Ph.D. student Muhammad Farooqui set out to design a smart bandage that monitors three health parameters simultaneously—bleeding, pH levels and external pressure—to provide real-time updates on wound status using wireless technology.
The team's consultations with medical professionals revealed that variations in a wound's pH level may indicate bacterial attacks. Combining this data with warnings about excess blood or pressure could alert users of the need for attention and help prevent ulcers from becoming chronic.
Producing multi-component sensors on stretchy bandage strips required a rethink about traditional microscale fabrication. Shamim and Farooqui used inkjet printing to directly pattern conductive carbon and silver ink onto plastic substrates.
On-body testing showed the bandage could communicate with a smartphone-like receiver up to 60 meters away, sending warnings such as "change bandage" when simulated blood conditions demanded it. Furthermore, the device was robust enough to be worn for an extended time and for its wearer to bend often.
"With our smart bandage, long-term collection of medical data becomes reasonable and convenient," said Shamim. "This could change how the healthcare industry operates, and we are working to translate it into a useful real-world product for chronic wound sufferers."
- By KAUST Discovery.