Scientists have developed a smart bandage to treat wounds
Miscellaneous / / April 22, 2022
She releases medicine only when needed.
Scientists from the Swiss laboratory Empa created a new, more effective way to treat wounds using dressings that respond to inflammation and release antimicrobials only when they are needed.
The main problem that physicians face when working with wounds is that it is impossible to say in advance will the damage be able to heal normally, or will the bacteria penetrate the damaged tissue and cause inflammation. To prevent possible complications, disinfectants or antibiotics are used.
But overtreatment can only make things worse. This is one of the main problems of modern medicine: the unjustified use of antibiotics. provokes the emergence of multidrug-resistant microbes that cause diseases that are much more complex cure.
This problem is solved by a "smart" dressing, in which the medicine is hidden. It is able to autonomously respond to changes in the environment and release the drug at the right time. A long-known effect was chosen as a marker: an increase in temperature in an inflamed wound.
To do this, scientists have developed a special mixture of polymers that retains a solid state during storage and skin contact at normal temperature (32-34ºС), but when the temperature rises to 37°C and above, it becomes more soft. From this mixture they made a membrane that holds the medicines. Since the polymer hardens again when the skin cools, such a membrane can be reusable: it will last for about 5 applications.
Now developments are ongoing: researchers want to fine-tune the material so that it reacts more accurately. even to small changes in temperature - which means that he started treatment faster and stopped it when he reached effect.
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