Intelligent Patches for Wound Management: In Situ Sensing and Treatment

Abstract

Intelligent wound patches have the potential properties of ultra-adhesion, self-healing ability, biosensing, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, etc. In situ sensing (biosensing and monitoring) and intelligent drug delivery deserve more exploration, and new strategies of these two factors are of great importance. In this Feature, a comprehensive set of the progress in the area of intelligent wound patches, especially those based on multiple biosensing and electronics, and their potentials in drug release is deliberated. In addition, the major challenges in this field and opinions on its future developments are portrayed.

Detecting bacterial infections in wounds: a review of biosensors and wearable sensors in comparison with conventional laboratory methods

“…Several reviews have been published on analytical techniques used for wound monitoring and detecting wound infections. [17][18][19] However, the focal point of those reviews mainly revolved around general parameters of wound healing such as temperature, pH or moisture with the combination of some bacteria metabolites. There are also gaps of in-depth understanding of wound microbiology, the suitability of methods in relation to wound types, analyte targets, and respective sampling methods.…”

Self-Bonded Hydrogel Inverse Opal Particles as Sprayed Flexible Patch for Wound Healing

“…To implement these drug treatments, several drug-delivery systems have been explored such as oral administration, intravenous injection, wound patches, and so on. − Among them, wound patches with different components, such as nanofibers, hydrocolloids, foams, and hydrogels, have been extensively adopted because they can directly close the wound to avoid infection and release drugs for further treatment. In particular, hydrogel patches including hydrogel membranes and particles have showed a demonstrated value in promoting wound healing, due to their high moisture content, keeping wounds moist. − Although with any progress, the membrane-based patches are usually exhibiting poor air permeability, while the hydrogel particles could only be used as additives with other medical patches to avoid the uncontrollable fall off. In addition, most of the existing hydrogel dressings are incapable of responding to the external environment, thus lacking intelligence and versatility.…”

Advancements in Skin Delivery of Natural Bioactive Products for Wound Management: A Brief Review of Two Decades

“…A smart system can respond to endogenous or exogenous stimuli to alter drug release. These technologies aim to modulate drug release according to properties such as pH, glucose levels, and temperature as a gauge of a wound’s status [ 154 ]. Identifying how these properties reflect changes in the wound has been the rate-limiting step in this field, meaning few examples currently exist [ 45 ].…”