Background and Aims More than 10 million people in Europe suffer from chronic wounds and this number is increasing. The SWAN-iCare project aims at developing a wearable negative pressure device with integrated sensors, e.g. for temperature and pH, for the monitoring and personalized therapies of chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot and venous leg ulcers. Methods The negative pressure device has the typical capabilities of similar devices to remove exudate, but it also includes wireless connectivity to send data remotely, embedded electronics and software for Real Time Operating System (RTOS), and wearable and external sensors to provide information on the patient's global health status and wound healing. Clinicians will be able to follow the trend of a set of parameters, e.g. level of metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2 and 9, temperature, pH, transepidermal water loss and status of the compression bandage, in real time and, with the help of dedicated algorithms, monitor the wound status. Results The negative pressure device with integrated sensors is ready for trials on patients. These trials consist of continuously monitoring, for at least 1 week, 15 patients affected by diabetic foot and venous leg ulcers. Conclusions The outcome of SWAN-iCare is expected to lead to benefits for patients and clinicians for the early identification of wound infections and deterioration, a better control and monitoring of exudate and compression, and access to detailed real-time quantitative data to evaluate the treatment effectiveness and wound healing progress for personalized therapies.
SWAN-iCare: A wearable negative pressure device with integrated sensors for wound monitoring and therapy
P Salvo;
2016
Abstract
Background and Aims More than 10 million people in Europe suffer from chronic wounds and this number is increasing. The SWAN-iCare project aims at developing a wearable negative pressure device with integrated sensors, e.g. for temperature and pH, for the monitoring and personalized therapies of chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot and venous leg ulcers. Methods The negative pressure device has the typical capabilities of similar devices to remove exudate, but it also includes wireless connectivity to send data remotely, embedded electronics and software for Real Time Operating System (RTOS), and wearable and external sensors to provide information on the patient's global health status and wound healing. Clinicians will be able to follow the trend of a set of parameters, e.g. level of metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2 and 9, temperature, pH, transepidermal water loss and status of the compression bandage, in real time and, with the help of dedicated algorithms, monitor the wound status. Results The negative pressure device with integrated sensors is ready for trials on patients. These trials consist of continuously monitoring, for at least 1 week, 15 patients affected by diabetic foot and venous leg ulcers. Conclusions The outcome of SWAN-iCare is expected to lead to benefits for patients and clinicians for the early identification of wound infections and deterioration, a better control and monitoring of exudate and compression, and access to detailed real-time quantitative data to evaluate the treatment effectiveness and wound healing progress for personalized therapies.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
