2024-03-05 00:22:26
Schematic diagram of a real-time wound monitoring system. (provided by KAIST)/News 1
A domestic research team has developed a digital healthcare technology that will track the wound healing process in real time and provide appropriate treatment.
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 5th that Professor Kwon Kyeong-ha’s team from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, along with Professor Ryu Han-jun of Chung-Ang University, developed a wireless system that can effectively monitor the wound healing process by tracking spatiotemporal temperature changes and heat transfer characteristics of wounds such as diabetes. revealed.
Skin damage can pose serious health risks associated with infection for patients requiring intensive care.
In particular, in the case of diabetic patients, chronic wounds easily occur due to problems with normal blood circulation and wound healing processes.
Tens of billions of dollars in medical costs are spent every year in the United States alone for the regeneration of chronic wounds.
Accordingly, the research team used the temperature difference between the wound area and the surrounding healthy skin to track the fever response within the wound. In addition, it was used as a basis for understanding the process of scar tissue formation by measuring heat transfer characteristics and observing changes in moisture near the skin surface.
The research team conducted an experiment on delayed wound healing in pathological conditions using diabetic rats and demonstrated that the collected data might accurately track the wound healing process and scar tissue formation.
This system is integrated with a biodegradable sensor module that can naturally decompose in the body to minimize tissue damage that may occur during the process of removing the device following the wound has healed.
This biodegradable module decomposes and disappears on its own in the body without the need for separate removal following use, minimizing the risk of additional discomfort or tissue damage.
This device, made of biodegradable materials, does not need to be removed following use, offering the possibility of monitoring even inside the wound site.
In the future, the research team plans to integrate this device with materials with antibacterial properties to expand the technology to observe and prevent inflammatory responses, bacterial infections, and other lesions. The goal is to provide an antibacterial, general-purpose wound monitoring platform that can be used in real time in hospitals or at home by detecting the level of infection through changes in temperature and heat transfer characteristics.
Kyeongha Kwon, Professor at KAIST. /News 1
Professor Kwon Kyeong-ha said, “By continuously monitoring the temperature and heat transfer characteristics of the wound area, it is expected that medical professionals will be able to more accurately identify the wound condition of diabetic patients and provide appropriate treatment.” “After healing is complete, the device can be safely disassembled without having to be removed, making real-time monitoring possible not only in hospitals but also at home,” he said.
The results of this study were published on the 19th of last month in the international academic journal ‘Advanced Healthcare Materials’ and were selected as the cover paper.
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