Researchers have created a new kind of bandage. It’s inexpensive but uses an electric field to improve healing in complex wounds. They could be beneficial to people with blood sugar concerns.
Chronic wounds are wounds that heal slowly or don’t heal at all. They can lead to amputation or even death. People with blood sugar concerns can have slower healing times. Because of complications from neuropathy, they are more at risk of hurting their feet or hands. In animal testing, the bandages healed wounds 30 percent faster than standard bandages.
“Our goal here was to develop a far less expensive technology that accelerates healing in patients with chronic wounds,” said Amay Bandodkar, co-corresponding author of the work at North Carolina State Univ. “We also wanted to make sure that the technology is easy enough for people to use at home, rather than something that patients can only receive in clinical settings.”
The bandages have a biocompatible battery on one side and an electrode on the other. The electrode goes in contact with the wound, and then the battery is activated by a drop of water. That turns on the electrode for several hours, forming an electric field. Older research established that electric fields speed healing in chronic wounds.
The team wants to fine-tune the technology to prolong the duration of the electric field. The current version of the bandage is under more testing to get it into a clinical test with humans so it can be used in the real world. The electrodes are flexible to conform to deep and irregularly shaped wounds. But having them work on animals in a lab is different than having them function on people at home.
“Foot ulceration [caused by blood sugar complications] is a serious problem that can lead to lower extremity amputations,” said researcher Aristidis Veves, a professor of surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Center. “There is urgent need for new therapeutic approaches, as the last one that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration was developed more than 25 years ago.”
The researchers warned that positive results in animal studies don’t always transfer over to humans. However, if the bandages work for people. It could be a game-changer.
Treating chronic wounds is expensive and complicated. The bandages could be used at home and are affordable. “We’re talking about a couple of dollars per dressing in overhead costs,” said Prof. Bandodkar.
These bandages could be the future of wound treatment for people with blood sugar concerns!
