Researchers from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Health Innovation and Technology at the National University of Singapore have worked with partners from other organizations to develop a new smart wearable sensor. The wearable sensor can wirelessly assess chronic wounds in real time at the point of care via an app. The wearable sensor has been described as the world's first sensor to detect specific temperature, pH, bacterial type, and inflammatory factors in chronic wounds.
The sensor can start collecting data within 15 minutes, allowing caregivers to make a quick and accurate assessment of wounds, with the goal of getting better treatment for those with chronic non-healing wounds, including diabetic foot and chronic venous leg ulcers. Researchers estimate that about 2 percent of the world's population suffers from chronic wounds.
Healing of chronic wounds is often influenced by a variety of factors, including infection and recurrent trauma. In addition, wounds can cause stress, pain, and discomfort to the person treating the wound. Diabetic foot ulcers are particularly worrisome because they can lead to foot amputation. Therefore, chronic wounds need timely care and appropriate treatment to speed up the recovery of wounds.
Often, chronic wounds require patients to repeatedly go to medical institutions for evaluation and treatment, increasing the cost of treatment. This wearable sensor will help mitigate the consequences of chronic wounds while providing relief to people with chronic wounds and helping to reduce stress. This smart dressing, known as VeCare, is the first wound assessment platform capable of detecting bacterial types and inflammatory factors.
The system includes a wound-sensing bandage, an electronic chip and a mobile application. Bandages include a wound contact layer, a breathable external barrier, a microfluidic wound fluid collector, and flexible sensors. The chip allows sensors to transmit data to applications without wires for real-time evaluation and analysis, and the chip is powered by a rechargeable battery that can be used multiple times.