Smart medical bandages made of silk thread and diamond nano are capable of effectively sensing wound temperature, helping to detect signs of early infection, Dr Asma Khalid from RMIT University, head of the research team, said in a post in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces on October 13.
Traditional skin wound treatment is a significant challenge for doctors. This work requires regular examination of the infection through signs of redness, inflammation and swelling.
However, once these visual signs appeared, inflammation progressed severely, making interventional theotherapy more difficult. The new technology allows health workers to detect infection early without removing medical bandages for examination, a process that often causes pain to patients, thereby accelerating the recovery process.
"Non-invasive temperature measurement provides a way to monitor wound health with greater accuracy than current visual assessment methods," said Dr Christina Bursill from the South Australian Institute of Health and Health Research, co-author of the study.
Diamond nanoparticles are electrochemized to form a foam film (blue). Photograph: Daniel Oldfield/RMIT.
To integrate heat-sense capabilities into medical tape, the team embedded diamond nanoparticles into silk fibers using electrochemical processes. Not only is it sensitive to biological temperature, diamond nano-containing silk membranes have also been shown to have very high antibacterial properties for gram-negative bacteria, one of the main agents of infection.
"Smart medical bandages can detect signs of early infection, protect wounds from certain bacteria and help maintain the flow of oxygen and nutrients to this area. The new technology will provide an effective and cost-effective solution for wound care and healing," Khalid said.
