E-Bandage Taps and Heals Wounds – IEEE Spectrum

Electricity not only powers electronics, it also helps people heal. A new study finds that the first electronic bandage that the body can absorb can apply electrical signals to speed wound healing by 30%.

Inside the body, electricity helps the heart beat, muscle spasms, and communicate with the brain. Scientists are now using electricity to create the so-called “Electric appliances”

In the new study, researchers focused on chronic wounds, particularly those associated with: DiabetesThe disease leads to more than $327 billion in medical costs annually in the United States alone, and is projected to grow at a rate of $1 billion annually.

A major complication that afflicts 15-25% of the approximately 30 million diabetics in the United States is diabetic foot ulcers. These and other chronic wounds associated with diabetes are the leading cause of non-accidental and non-injury lower extremity amputations worldwide.

Diabetes can cause nerve damage that leads to numbness, so diabetics can experience simple blisters and scratches that go unnoticed and go untreated. It is possible to thicken blood sugar levels. This slows blood circulation and makes wound healing more difficult. These factors can often cause minor injuries to develop into dangerous scars.

In the new study, researchers found electrotherapy Helps repair these chronic wounds. The inflammation associated with these wounds disrupts the body’s normal electrical signals and prevents the migration of new cells that support the healing process.

Previous research has shown that electricity can help heal wounds. However, electrotherapy devices often consisted of wired, bulky equipment that could only be used under supervision in a hospital environment. In a new study, scientists aimed to develop a more comfortable electronic therapy device that can be worn at home, day or night.

A new small, flexible, elastic, wireless, battery-free electronic bandage that gently wraps around the injured area. This is the first electronic bandage that is bioabsorbable, i.e. absorbed by the body.

Northwestern University

One side of the device contains two electrodes that generate an electric field between them. A small flower-shaped electrode in the center of the wound and a ring-shaped electrode that surrounds the entire wound. The other side of the device contains an energy harvesting coil that powers the system. magnetic induction, short-range wireless communication It has a system that wirelessly transmits data in real-time to a smartphone or tablet, allowing doctors to operate it remotely, and a red LED to indicate when the device is working.

The device also has sensors to monitor the healing process. As the wound heals, it should dry out and become less conductive. By measuring the resistance that an electric current experiences across a wound, doctors can track the progress of healing.

In experiments with diabetic mice, researchers applied electrical stimulation to skin wounds for only 30 minutes a day. Even in this short time he accelerated wound closure by 30%.

“Electrical stimulation is almost painless,” says Guillermo Ameer, the study’s co-lead author. biomedical Engineer at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

One previous concern with electroceuticals was the damage that could occur when removing electrostimulation components from wounds. A new study found that after the wound healed, the flower-shaped electrodes melted into the body, eliminating the need to remove them.

Both of the device’s electrodes are made of molybdenum, a metal commonly used in electronics. Scientists have found that molybdenum is bioabsorbable if it is thin enough.

“It was interesting to see that the electrodes could biodegrade without adversely affecting the healing process,” says Ameer.

However, Ameer cautions: Not intended to accelerate the healing of minor skin wounds in healthy individuals. ”

Scientists now plan to test electronic bandages on diabetic ulcers in larger animals. It’s a fascinating new field,” says Ameer. “Our biodegradable electrotherapy device is a step into that future.”

Researchers detailed their findings online Feb. 22 in the journal scientific progress.