Not just band-aids: technology driven wound care

This issue of Wound Central was complied by our guest editor

Wound care is not just band-aids — this is a frequent opening line that I use with my patients as well as when I teach. Science and research are rapidly expanding our understanding of the complexity of wound care and technology is also keeping pace to help us heal wounds. For example, hydrocolloid dressings were considered advanced, next generation dressings in the 1980s. Now, they have been superseded by other dressings that incorporate multiple functions into the same product to help create the optimal environment to support healing.

‘Smart’ bandages that will be able to give point-of-care information to patients and clinicians are not a dream; they are in clinical trial testing now and should be a reality for wide use within the next decade. Prototypes being developed have the ability to monitor pH, temperature, antibiotic delivery and other biomarkers for inflammation.¹ Hydrogel has long been used as a very basic topical that facilitates autolytic debridement while it donates and absorbs moisture on the wound bed. Now it is used as a delivery vehicle for this new sensing technology as well as delivering stem cells and other distinct cells/growth factors which enhance wound healing.