Smart Bandage for Monitoring and Treatment of Chronic Wounds

TLDR

Chronic wounds affect more than 25 million Americans, are prone to infection, and are the leading cause of nontraumatic limb amputations worldwide, yet their healing can be improved by timely, real‑time therapy in a dynamic wound environment. This study presents a smart, automated flexible bandage that integrates temperature and pH sensors to monitor wound status in real time and address this unmet medical need. The dressing incorporates a hydrogel with thermo‑responsive drug carriers, an electronically controlled flexible heater, and a microcontroller that processes sensor data to trigger on‑demand drug release for individualized treatment. The prototype demonstrates that such a flexible smart wound dressing could significantly improve chronic wound management.

Abstract

Abstract Chronic wounds are a major health concern and they affect the lives of more than 25 million people in the United States. They are susceptible to infection and are the leading cause of nontraumatic limb amputations worldwide. The wound environment is dynamic, but their healing rate can be enhanced by administration of therapies at the right time. This approach requires real‐time monitoring of the wound environment with on‐demand drug delivery in a closed‐loop manner. In this paper, a smart and automated flexible wound dressing with temperature and pH sensors integrated onto flexible bandages that monitor wound status in real‐time to address this unmet medical need is presented. Moreover, a stimuli‐responsive drug releasing system comprising of a hydrogel loaded with thermo‐responsive drug carriers and an electronically controlled flexible heater is also integrated into the wound dressing to release the drugs on‐demand. The dressing is equipped with a microcontroller to process the data measured by the sensors and to program the drug release protocol for individualized treatment. This flexible smart wound dressing has the potential to significantly impact the treatment of chronic wounds.