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Can Smart Bandages be the Next Negative-pressure Wound Therapy
1. MARKET INSIGHT
Can Smart Bandages be the Next Negative-
pressure WoundTherapy?
By Swathi Allada, Research Analyst
Medical Devices
Frost & Sullivan
2. Frost & Sullivan | Market Insight
Frost.com
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...This smart bandage can
actually sense the state of
a wound and
address the major
medical challenges on how
to treat
hard-to-heal wounds...
“Smart Bandages” are a relatively new concept in the area of medicine and are rapidly finding
opportunities in the healthcare industry, especially the area of chronic wound care.This smart bandage
can actually sense the state of a wound and address the major medical challenges on how to treat
hard-to-heal wounds. Several researchers from various institutions are bringing together advances in
sensors,microelectronics,biomaterials,and tissue engineering to create smart bandages for wound care
that could be used to detect and treat burns, diabetic ulcers, and pressure ulcers. In addition to this,
these smart bandages (with the help of electrochemical sensors) can detect the presence of potentially
harmful bacteria present in the wound or cut and alert doctors.This is especially important for people
with weakened immune system that are still in the hospital. The smart bandages are filled with
nano-capsules of antibiotics that are automated to be released in the presence of harmful bacteria,such
as salmonella, listeria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and terapathogenic E. coli, thereby effectively treating
the infection even before the clinical signs become evident.
Hospitals and wound clinics often have to stock a huge variety of bandages to treat and address the
moisture needs of different kinds of wounds, but these high-tech smart bandages will replace them.
They only absorb moisture when necessary and supply the right amount of moisture when needed.
Not only do these smart bandages have the ability to save lives, but they also have the potential to
reduce complications, speed up the healing process, and save time and money.The creation of this tiny
device is a simple design that could revolutionise the way wounds are managed, especially burns and
diabetic ulcers. If proven successful, these sensor-filled bandages will soon be seen in the market.The
smart bandages are reliable,accurate,have a longer shelf life,and are easy-to-use.They have the addition
of adding a significant economic and clinical impact due to the fact that they can monitor skin grafts or
determine burn-depth in a non-invasive way.They have the potential to impact the entire wound care
industry by providing a major boost in efforts to curtail health problems that affect an estimated 6.5
million US citizens at an annual cost of $25 billion.
TheTechnology Behind Smart Bandages
These new devices, known as flexible electronics, will do much more than just deliver medicine to the
wound site.They will also monitor the vital signs of the body, including temperature, pH, and oxygen
levels, and make adjustments when needed. In addition, they will also wirelessly communicate wound
conditions back to healthcare professionals who are off-site.These smart devices have the ability to
completely change the way wounds are monitored and treated. Flexible electronics is an emerging
technology with revolutionary potential that encompasses the design and fabrication of electronic
devices and circuits combined with a low production costs and environmentally friendly materials.The
next-generation electronics can be applied on polymeric substrates, providing both functionality and
physical flexibility.They can be used broadly in biomedical and life sciences applications as monitors,
sensors, and neuroprosthetics.
NoteworthyTechnology Developments forTackling Growing Health Problems
Researchers from Harvard Medical School are developing a smart bandage that will deliver medicine
depending upon need and will treat wounds. Multiple sensors are placed on the bandage to monitor
vital signs such as temperature,pH,and oxygen levels.This device has the potential to sense pH balance,
which will signify the changes in bacterial infection. The researchers are now testing new flexible
materials, such as hydrogel, to cover the wound and new methods of delivering medications to the
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Frost & Sullivan | Market Insightt
wound site. Before the device gets commercialised, it will have to be tested on animals to obtain
regulatory approval. Once the smart bandage is commercialised, it is expected to be widely adopted in
the healthcare industry within the next three to four years.
A team of engineers from the University of Australia have created a similar breakthrough technology
with three different prototypes.These sensors detect the changes in a wound and alert either the patient
or the medical staff by changing the colour of the bandage.These smart bandages are decreasing the
time spent checking wounds and changing bandages on patients. In addition, it will also prevent
hospitalisation and charges for doctor visits, thus contributing to lower healthcare costs.
The UC Berkeley engineers are developing a smart bandage that will use electric currents to diagnose
early tissue damage from pressure ulcers (also known as decubitus ulcers or bedsores) before they
become visible on skin despite the fact that recovery is still possible.An estimated 2.5 million people
are affected with pressure ulcers each year, an impeding annual cost of $11 billion.This impedance
sensing technology may soon see its debut in the US market, where the market potential is high for
such ulcers.
Bioscope,a project developed by an alliance of nurses,engineers,and computer scientists at the National
Taiwan University in Taipei, is housing a 3-D printed bandage-like system that monitors patient's tem-
perature, heart rate, movement, and internal bodily noises.The electrical activity is continuously meas-
ured and this data is then wirelessly transmitted via Bluetooth to a system that tracks the patient’s
health. Rather than acting as simple bandage, these new smart bandages will also communicate with
health professionals in real-time without the need to be at a hospital or other healthcare facility.
A group of researchers from the United States, South Korea, and Germany have developed a simple,
non-invasive liquid bandage that can map oxygen concentrations in skin wounds and burns. It uses a
simple technology that can detect tissue oxygen levels by glowing blue-green or red, indicating when
the tissue is oxygenated and when it is not, respectively. So far this bandage has been used to monitor
wounds and skin grafts on animal models, and the technology will soon be tested in real-time clinical
situations.
The researchers at the University of Manchester are currently creating electronic bandages that use
electrical stimulation to speed up the healing process of wounds.With the intention to develop such
devices and help bring them to market,they have partnered with the England firm Oxford BioElectronics
Ltd. If proven successful, this technology can be used for healing many hard to heal wounds such as
human or veterinary surgical wounds, accidental wounds, military trauma, and sports injuries.
Implications for the Smart BandageTechnology and Future Outlook
Current wound care or bandage technology is typically designed to protect the wound area. However,
the smart bandage with flexible sensors will enable the real-time monitoring of the state of wounds,
intervene with the external conditions (e.g., infection) by delivering medicine, detect the presence of
harmful bacteria, enable early detection of health conditions (e.g., pressure ulcers), and communicate
wirelessly with remote healthcare professionals.
Though smart bandages have shown significance in chronic wound care management, the long-term
effects of this have not yet been studied, which needs to be addressed. Smart bandages will have to
undergo a series of clinical tests before these devices become fully commercialised.
