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New bandages have been invented to heal chronic wounds with an electric field
Researchers have invented electric bandages developed to heal chronic wounds and the futuristic product seems like something from a crazy Sci-Fi movie.
Normal adhesive bandages are easy to apply and protect wounds from bacteria to stop the healing process from being disturbed. An inexpensive electric bandage has now been created using a water-powered, electronics-free dressing for electrical stimulation of chronic wounds that are usually expensive to heal.
Electric bandages invented to heal chronic wounds
A news release shared by North Carolina State University reports researchers have developed an inexpensive bandage that uses an electric field to promote healing in chronic wounds.
The water-powered, electronics-free dressings (WPEDs), are disposable wound dressings with electrodes on one side and a small, biocompatible battery on the other. The dressing is applied to a patient so that the electrodes come into contact with the wound. A drop of water is then applied to the battery, activating it. Once activated, the bandage produces an electric field for several hours.
Wounds that were treated with these electric bandages in animal testing were shown to heal 30% faster than wounds treated with conventional bandages.
Chronic wounds are open wounds that fail to heal by normal healing processes, therefore healing very slowly or not at all, as Science Direct explains.
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An example of chronic wounds are sores that occur in some patients with diabetes; these wounds are particularly problematic because they often recur after treatment and significantly increase the risk of amputation and death.
Existing treatment options for chronic wounds are expensive, creating additional problems for patients, so the team at North Carolina State University searched to develop a far less expensive technology that accelerates healing in patients with chronic wounds.
Co-corresponding author of the work and an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, Amay Bandodkar, stated: “We also wanted to make sure that the technology is easy enough for people to use at home, rather than something that patients can only receive in clinical settings.”
Cost-effectiveness was an important part of the team’s discovery, they can be produced at a relatively low cost – reportedly around a couple of dollars per dressing in overhead costs.
Researchers explain the incredible way they work
The lightweight bandages, which can provide electrical stimulation simply by adding water, healed wounds faster than the control method, and at a similar rate as bulkier and more expensive wound treatmenta, according to the report.
Rajaram Kaveti, co-first author of the study and a post-doctoral researcher at NC State, explained the importance of the electric field in the design, as well as the ability for the bandage to conform to the person’s body. This is so the electric field is directed from the periphery of the wound toward the wounds center.
The wound dressings have been tested in diabetic mice, which Maggie Jakus says are a commonly used model for human wound healing.
They found that “the electrical stimulation from the device sped up the rate of wound closure, promoted new blood vessel formation, and reduced inflammation, all of which point to overall improved wound healing.
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