A new “smart bandage” from engineers at UC Berkeley uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers, or bedsores, before they can be seen by human eyes. The device could potentially be carried by a nurse for spot-checking target areas on a patient, or incorporated into a wound dressing to regularly monitor the healing process.

The researchers tested the thin, non-invasive bandage on the skin of rats and found that the device was able to detect varying degrees of tissue damage consistently across multiple animals.

The smart bandage is fabricated by printing gold electrodes onto a thin piece of plastic. Using a technique called impedance spectroscopy, the team discharged a very small current between the electrodes to create a spatial map of the underlying tissue. As a cell begins to die, the integrity of the cell wall starts to break down, allowing electrical signals to leak through, much like a resistor.

Pressure ulcers, or bedsores, are injuries that can result after prolonged pressure cuts off adequate blood supply to the skin. Patients who are bedridden or otherwise lack mobility are most at risk.

The bandage technology could boost efforts to stem a health problem that affects an estimated 2.5 million U.S. residents at an annual cost of $11 billion.

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