Medical bandage of a new generation able to talk about the condition of the wound

Burns or other skin damage one of the most important aspects necessary for the process of wound healing is the increased access to oxygen. If the doctor knows how much oxygen is delivered to the wound, then he will be able to determine how fast will be its healing. In order to help doctors in obtaining this information without having to remove the wound healing bandage, an international group of scientists has created a special glowing bandage.

The process of bandaging this brace begins with the application directly into the wound with a special sticky fluid. This liquid contains a fluorescent composition (phosphorus) and the reference dye that has dried for approximately one minute, forming a thin film over the wound. On top of this "barrier" is applied with special paint. Despite the fact that the film dries and begins to fit snugly to the skin, it perfectly passes required for wound healing oxygen.

When the doctor next time you want to know the condition of the wound, it will suffice to Shine on the area bandage light. In the film of the fluorescent composition will absorb light and then immediately back it will reflect. At the same time in the tissues of the body, the oxygen will make the wound and in her luminous glow even brighter.

Despite their invisibility to the naked eye, the fluorescent composition can be easily exercised even when using lighting of a simple smartphone or camera. In addition, changes color reference dye in the film, will provide the doctor with a clearer idea of the condition of the wound and talk about how much oxygen it is.

The development of a new brace was conducted under the guidance of Conor L. Evans, associate Professor center for photomedicine of Wellman Central hospital of Massachusetts with the participation of Harvard medical school.

According to the creators, the new bandage can be multifunctional and in the near future, it could also be used for monitoring patients with risk of development of ischemia (insufficient blood supply), monitoring the postoperative condition when transplanting skin, as well as to determine the depth of tissue damage for its subsequent surgical treatment — removal of dead or damaged tissue.

In addition, the bandage of a new generation has the potential for use to control the pH, bacterial levels, and can also be used as a bacterial marker, not to mention the fact that it will be able to deliver the necessary medication directly to the affected area of the skin.

Details on the work done by scientists published in a recent scientific journal Biomedical Optics Express, where they also reported that they have developed a "smart" bandage that changes color to indicate infection bacterial infection.

Source: hi-news.ru