Electronics
Meanwhile, chronic wounds are a result of diseases, such as venous or arterial vascular insufficiency, pressure necrosis, cancer and diabetes. The most common chronic wounds seen in the clinic tend to be diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers. Depending on their cause, chronic wounds can require a matter of weeks, months or even years to heal. They often do not reach a normal healthy state but remain in a pathological state of inflammation. This impaired and delayed wound healing places a significant socio- economic burden on health systems worldwide, as both treatment and waste costs are tremendous. In the US alone, chronic wounds cost the health care system $25bn annually.
Clinicians and specialised nurses working in wound care are not without tools to help the body repair damaged skin tissue. A plethora of advanced dressings are available that contain ingredients like honey and silver to reduce the bacterial burden and promote the healing pathways necessary for regeneration. But these existing wound dressings are not able to provide dynamic information about the condition of the wound, and it’s for this reason that patients need to be continuously monitored so the care pathway can be altered quickly to respond to changing wound pathologies. This represents a significant financial and time burden, hence it’s why there is an urgent need for devices, dressings and bandages that can provide detailed and quantitative information about a patient’s wound status and allow nurses to manage medication administration remotely. So, what’s required to make this possible? Firstly, sensors are needed that can measure various wound markers, such as pH, wound moisture, oxygen content at the wound site, glucose, temperature and the mechanical and electrical properties of the wound environment.
What can we measure? Biomarker
pH of wound Temperature Oxygen Moisture Mechanical and electrical Enzymes Active drug delivery
In the most advanced use case of remote management, such sensors would monitor the status of the wound in real time and respond to changes in wound pH, temperature and enzyme level to actively deliver the right therapeutics, for example antibiotics. To achieve automated drug delivery, a smart dressing of this kind requires a reservoir for drugs and drug transport systems, as well as micropumps with microcontrollers that can interact wirelessly with the smartphone or tablet. Active drug delivery methods involve the use of various techniques to facilitate the controlled release of drugs into the body. These methods offer advantages in terms of targeted delivery, enhanced efficacy and improved patient outcomes.
“Mechanical or piezoelectric forces administer drugs at a controlled rate and are designed to provide precise dosing that can be integrated into wearable devices or implantable systems.”
One approach for active drug delivery is through mechanical and piezoelectric pumps. These pumps utilise mechanical or piezoelectric forces to administer drugs at a controlled rate and are designed to provide precise dosing that can be integrated into wearable devices or implantable systems. Thermally actuating thermo-responsive systems are another method for active drug delivery. These systems employ a thermo- responsive material that releases the drug when heated by an external heater, which ensures safe drug delivery. In some cases, localised heating has also been shown to promote fast wound healing as the increase in skin temperature can enhance the permeability of the skin, facilitating better drug penetration.
Signifi cance
Understanding wound status. For example, an elevated pH in the wound bed is a sign of infection.
Providing information on various factors relevant to healing, infection, infl ammation and oxygenation in the wound environment.
Hypoxia in a chronic wound may be detrimental to the healing process. The oxygen level also indicates the rate of angiogenesis.
Moisture in the wound bed reduces the infl ammation and enhances the proliferative phase of dermal repair and rate of revascularization compared to dry wound conditions. Also, excessive wound fl uid may increase the risk of bacterial infection.
The mechanical and electrical properties of a wound change in response to skin disorders or diseases as well as during the healing process.
The upregulation or downregulation of enzyme levels can indicate abnormalities. For example, the upregulation of cathepsin G and elastase has been suggested as indicators of infection.
Medical Device Developments /
www.nsmedicaldevices.com
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