Center for Advanced Materials and Related Technologies (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada.
Center for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada.
Adv Healthc Mater. 2017 Oct;6(19). doi: 10.1002/adhm.201700718. Epub 2017 Sep 25.
Wound management is a major global challenge and poses a significant financial burden to the healthcare system due to the rapid growth of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and aging population. The ability to detect pathogenic infections and release drug at the wound site is of the utmost importance to expedient patient care. Herein, this study presents an advanced multifunctional dressing (GelDerm) capable of colorimetric measurement of pH, an indicator of bacterial infection, and release of antibiotic agents at the wound site. This study demonstrates the ability of GelDerm to detect bacterial infections using in vitro and ex vivo tests with accuracies comparable to the commercially available systems. Wireless interfaces to digital image capture hardware such as smartphones serve as a means for quantitation and enable the patient to record the wound condition at home and relay the information to the healthcare personnel for following treatment strategies. Additionally, the dressing is integrated within commercially available patches and can be placed on the wound without chemical or physical irritation. This study demonstrates the ability of GelDerm to eradicate bacteria by the sustained release of antibiotics. The proposed technology holds great promise in managing chronic and acute injuries caused by trauma, surgery, or diabetes.
伤口管理是一个全球性的重大挑战,由于糖尿病、肥胖症和人口老龄化等慢性疾病的迅速增长,给医疗保健系统带来了巨大的财政负担。能够在伤口部位检测到致病感染并释放药物对于及时的患者护理至关重要。在本研究中,我们提出了一种先进的多功能敷料(GelDerm),能够对 pH 值进行比色测量,这是细菌感染的一个指标,并能够在伤口部位释放抗生素药物。本研究通过体外和体内实验证明了 GelDerm 能够检测细菌感染,其准确性可与市售系统相媲美。无线接口与智能手机等数字图像采集硬件相结合,作为定量的一种手段,并使患者能够在家中记录伤口状况,并将信息传递给医疗保健人员,以制定后续治疗策略。此外,这种敷料集成在市售的贴片内,可以在不引起化学或物理刺激的情况下贴在伤口上。本研究证明了 GelDerm 通过持续释放抗生素来消灭细菌的能力。该技术有望用于管理由创伤、手术或糖尿病引起的慢性和急性损伤。