What: A trauma bandage has been developed to determine when a wound has become infected. Healthy wounds have a pH of 5 or 6, but infected wounds have a pH of 6.5 to 8.5. This causes a dye in the bandage to turn purple, indicating the first signs of infection in the wound. The bandage can have significant effects by allowing both patients and doctors to check for infections without removing the dressings.
Who: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies in Munich, Germany created these trauma bandages.
The Future: The institution hopes to incorporate an optical sensor, which would allow for better measurements in pH value by presenting the data on a screen to further tell whether the wound is healing. The team also hopes to find an industrial partner willing to mass produce the dye for commercial sale.
-compiled Anessa Caalim