A ‘bandaid’ solution isn’t always bad
An Australian researcher is developing a bandage that could help treatment of chronic wounds by changing colour to reveal the state of the wound beneath. The research aims to improve the monitoring and treatment of chronic wounds, such as ulcers, which affect up to 3% of the population, mainly people who are elderly, obese or who have diabetes.
An Australian researcher is developing a bandage that could help treatment of chronic wounds by changing colour to reveal the state of the wound beneath.
The research aims to improve the monitoring and treatment of chronic wounds, such as ulcers, which affect up to 3% of the population, mainly people who are elderly, obese or who have diabetes.
It is said the invention could dramatically reduce the $500 million cost of chronic wound care in Australia, and improve the quality of life of many patients.
CSIRO materials scientist, Louise van der Werff, who is presenting her research as part of this year’s Fresh Science, says she has developed “something that changes colour in response to changes in temperature.
“Some people might have a wound lasting for six months because they get recurring infections that they are not identifying early enough,” Ms van der Werff says.
Infections and inflammation can cause delayed healing, especially when a patient’s immune system is compromised.
“And because many chronic wound sufferers are at home or in places where their wound may not be constantly monitored, treatment may not come as soon as it should,” she says.
How does it work?
The invention is designed to ensure faster diagnosis of wound problems and appropriate treatment to speed up healing.
The bandage uses a commercial derivative of cholesterol that changes from red through green to blue as it heats up.
“If you have an infection or inflammation you’re likely to get an increase in temperature from a normal state,” says van der Werff.
Ms Van der Werff has worked out how to incorporate the colour-changing molecule into a ‘rubbery’ material.
“I’ve shown that it can be woven or knitted into a fabric and it retains its colour-changing behaviour,” she says.
Some basic characterisation to show how you can use this to monitor temperature has also been conducted.
What’s next?
The next step is to make a prototype bandage where the colours have been adjusted to match a particular temperature range.
“We can tune them so you can see a temperature difference of less than half a degree just by looking at the colour,” Ms van der Werff says.
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