Patients with a mild or serious wound often require the use of antibiotics and a series of painful bandage changes during the course of treatment. Luckily, this could soon be a thing of the past.
Researchers are working on a new technology that could help eliminate some of the bandaging discomforts associated with wounds. Their device allows patients to ‘spray-paint’ a bandage loaded with antibiotics or other medications directly onto their wounds.
The team behind the device work at the Montana Technological University in Canada. Their device, which they have called an electrostatic and air driven device (EStAD), is fully portable, and uses a technology called electrospinning.
Electrospinning involves producing fibers using high voltage electricity on polymers which then produces tiny artificial spider-webs that are thinner than hair. When they spin out, they look like spray paint. The researchers were able to mix antibiotics straight into the polymer before spinning it out into fibers. Since the fibers are biocompatible, they melt and release the antibodies when they come into contact with a change in temperature of the body.
The intriguing technology offers a number of possibilities for wound care and drug delivery.
The researchers believe doctors and first responders could use this device, especially those medical personnel working in rural areas where they often cannot transport a person quickly to a hospital.
Another potential application would be as a wound dressing for burn patients, allowing for the immediate application of a conforming protective layer with medication. The spray could form a substrate to promote skin regeneration and healing, often faster and with less scarring than other traditional methods. A handheld electrospinning device also offers the potential practicality of being able to deliver ‘spray-on’ antibiotics to treat in-home burns or wound care.
