Holistic wound monitoring is an important practice that detects early warnings of complications for proper wound care. As such, the technology has evolved from once a very basic practice to the sophisticated usage of AI-enabled, paper-like sensors without batteries.
The Invention of Battery-Free Sensors for Holistic Wound Monitoring
According to Science Daily, the scientific invention designed for holistic wound monitoring was engineered to be paper-like in nature. The sensors can run without batteries and are powered by AI.
The National University of Singapore achieved the invention in partnership with A⃰STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE). This invention is called PETAL, a patch composed of five colorimetric sensors for biomarker measuring in wounds.
The biomarker measuring process would only take 15 minutes, and with the help of AI, instant analysis would be given to assess the status of the wound's healing. Medical Xpress reports that PETAL's accuracy rate for healing and non-healing burn and chronic wounds is 97%.
Risks Related to Wound Healing
Chronic wounds incapable of healing after three months pose a huge life-threatening risk. As such, the technology is designed to find complications and detail its healing status.
The technology is also designed to deal with post-burn pathological scars on top of chronic wounds, as both present life-threatening risks. Early signs detection can trigger clinical intervention for better wound care and management.
Benjamin Tee, associate professor from the NYS College of Design and Engineering's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, described developing AI-enabled solutions. Professor Tee was also an associate professor at the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology.
As noted by Science Daily, Professor Tee said the invention was done by combining flexible electronics, sensor data processing, and AI with the IMRE researcher's nanosensor capabilities. As such, this resulted in innovative solutions to address complex patient wound conditions.
PETAL Sensor Patch
The PETAL sensor patch gets its name from the combination of the words "Paper-like Battery-free In situ AI-enabled Multiplexed," the scientific description of the sensor patch. The patch was designed to measure five major biomarkers, including temperature, uric acid, pH level, trimethylamine, and wound moisture.
Science Daily details that with the combination of metrics, PETAL sensors can assess possible inflammation, infection, and wound environment condition. Principal Scientist Dr. Su Xiaodi from A⃰STAR's IMRE Soft Materials Department described the invention's design.
PETAL was described as being paper-like thin, and flexible, as well as compatible in a biological sense. This made it safe and easy to integrate for wound dressing with added assessment.
The solution takes a low-cost approach to wound care management at more than just hospitals, as its intended use case extends to home usage. Science.org reports PETAL can be used for other wound types like glucose or lactate.
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