Abstract:
Wound management has been efficiently handled by the development of a smart bi-functional real time modular system that combines and synchronizes quantitative assessment of wound health with wearable drug dispenser for controlled and desired drug dispensation for specific patient demand. The wound monitoring system is composed of a biocompatible, planar, point of care and flexible wearable patch comprising of a pH sensor array that can easily conform to body contours and efficiently provide a spatial map of pH levels for different areas of the wound, since variations in pH are indicative of physiological alteration such as inflammation and tumor growth. The design of pH sensor array is dependent on electrode density, which is a function of both the optimized size and separation of electrodes. Based on the final electrode density, an optimized design of the pH sensor array has been developed, using copper tracts on a polyimide substrate and a hydrophilic pH responsive hydrogel as the pH sensitive component. The treatment module comprising of the wearable drug dispenser has been developed using the concept of an electronically controlled drug delivery through a haptic vibratory mechanism that is precisely controlled and tuned for drug release to affected areas. In addition, an environmentally triggered, pH responsive hydrogel based drug delivery system has also been developed in tandem, as a comparison with the electronically controlled system. The individual components of the proposed wound management system have been extensively tested for physical, chemical and performance related characteristics; subsequently, the systems have been used in the in-vivo setting to establish a baseline for future clinical testing and usability. Our observations and results suggest that the both the diagnostic and treatment components of the wound management system have the potential to mark an improvement in the current situation for wound management in hospital settings. The development of this extensively tested prototype system clears the way for further clinical studies to be undertaken in this regard.
