WEBVTT - What If Bandages Could Monitor Your Wound?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogel bomb here. Sometimes a wound requires a bandage,

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<v Speaker 1>But what if that bandage wasn't just a passive way

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<v Speaker 1>to prevent infection. What if a bandage could play an

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<v Speaker 1>active role in diagnosis and recovery. This idea that bandages

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<v Speaker 1>can be smart is behind a new invention by a

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<v Speaker 1>team of engineers at Tufts University. The team developed a

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<v Speaker 1>flexible bandage less than three millimeters thick that surround an

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<v Speaker 1>eighth of an inch that actively monitors chronic wounds and

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<v Speaker 1>then responds by delivering wound specific drug treatments to promote healing.

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<v Speaker 1>In a news release, co authors samirsan Kusl, a PhD

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<v Speaker 1>and professor of electrical and Computer engineering at Tufts University

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<v Speaker 1>School of Engineering, said, we've been able to take a

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<v Speaker 1>new approach to bandages because of the emergence of flexible electronics.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, flexible electronics have made many wearable medical devices possible,

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<v Speaker 1>but bandages have changed little since the beginnings of medicine.

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<v Speaker 1>We are simply applying modern technology to an ancient art

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<v Speaker 1>and the hopes of improving outcomes for an intractable problem.

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<v Speaker 1>The research, if successful in clinical settings, could transform the

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<v Speaker 1>future of bandages. This could be an important advancement for

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<v Speaker 1>people with chronic skin wounds that are difficult to heal,

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<v Speaker 1>such as those arising from burns or diabetes. The smart

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<v Speaker 1>bandages have pH and temperature sensors to measure the primary

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<v Speaker 1>markers of wound healing. The pH balance for optimal wound

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<v Speaker 1>healing is a range from five point five to six

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<v Speaker 1>point five, while wounds that are not healing will have

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<v Speaker 1>a pach range above six point five. An elevated temperature

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<v Speaker 1>at the wound site indicates inflammation is taking place and

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<v Speaker 1>that a wound is also not healing. A separate bandage

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<v Speaker 1>prototype made by the team also takes oxygenation into account,

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<v Speaker 1>signaling whether a wound is healing optimally. The real time

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<v Speaker 1>data from the bandages sensors is read by a microprocessor

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<v Speaker 1>that can then signal an on demand antibiotic release, creating

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<v Speaker 1>a better environment four wounds to heal. The next step

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<v Speaker 1>for Toughs University's smart bandages is to test them in

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<v Speaker 1>a clinical setting and see how the concept stacks up

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<v Speaker 1>against other smart bandages, including one designed by researchers at

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<v Speaker 1>the University of Nebraska that uses a smartphone as the

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<v Speaker 1>remote control to deliver medication. Today's episode was written by

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<v Speaker 1>Laurie L. Dove and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other smart topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com