Unlike bearers of cuts and scrapes, those with chronic wounds know how painful it can be to have a bandage changed along with the risk of exposure to external bacteria, however regular checks are crucial to ensure a wound is healing correctly and does not turn septic. A new Swiss-designed smart bandage containing pH sensors may be the answer.

Flusitex, which was created at Empa, the Swiss federal laboratories for materials science’s laboratory for biomimetic membranes and textiles, has integrated sensors that glow under UV light, revealing how a wound is healing depending on the colour emitted.

Less work

Crucially, the sensors would only need to come into contact with a small area of the wound, making these high-tech industrial wound dressings only up to 20 per cent more expensive than standard ones.

This could also mean less work for nursing staff and, therefore, lower the global cost of treating wounds by about $17 billion, claims Empa.

[ https://www.empa.ch/web/s604/wound-healing-sensorOpens in new window ]