University aims to embed wireless sensors into dressings
Cranfield University is developing a new ‘smart’ wound dressings from three-year research project..
The university said that it is aiming to embed wireless sensors into dressings, which will be helpful in finding out the development in the wound during the healing process without removing the dressings. The dressing will be focused particularly towards treating diabetic ulcers, burns, lesions and pressure sores, and will use odour, moisture and temperature sensors to detect signs of infection and whether healing is taking place.
Seamus Higson, professor of Cranfield Health, said: “Our ‘smart’ dressing will register the state of the injury without having to remove the dressing, meaning less contact with infection and less disruption to the healing process.
“This project is very exciting, as it has the potential to reduce the enormous amount of discomfort that wounds can bring, improve the healing process and, in some cases, the quality of life for patients. We hope this technology will be at the clinical trials stage within two years.”
Higson, professor, will be working with Cranfield Health colleagues professor Richard Aspinall and Dr Frank Davis to investigate the possibility of feeding cells into wounds to increase the speed of the healing process later.
Reportedly, the project has received £1.5m of funding from the Technology Strategy Board and is being undertaken with the Wound Healing Institute at CardiffUniversity and Microarray, manufactures of micro-electrode arrays for use within chemical and biosensors and Toumaz Technology, developers of wireless body monitoring technologies.