Product News

Gelling Fiber Wound Dressing Now Available in the U.S.

Officials with Systagenix (an Acelity Company), San Antonio, have announced the availability of BIOSORB™ Gelling Fiber Dressing in the United States. The dressing is considered to be unique in that it forms a gel when contact is made with an exuding wound. The dressing also offers increased absorbency and the ability to hold its shape, allowing for intact removal, which is designed to make dressing changes less painful for patients, officials said. The dressing can be used for a variety of exuding wounds, including leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, surgical wounds, partial-thickness burns, and traumatic and oncology wounds. Visit www.acelity.com for more information. 

‘Smart’ Sutures Changing the Scope of Wound Healing

A recent study by a team of engineers at Tufts University claims newly created “smart” threads made of various materials, from cotton to synthetics, can sense pressure, stress, strain, temperature, and pH and glucose levels, among other diagnostic data that can be electronically communicated to healthcare providers. The threads are made by dipping materials into physical- and chemical-sensing compounds. Once sutures are applied to the patient’s body, the threads can wirelessly send diagnostic information to the medical professional’s phone or computer in an effort to monitor the patient’s wound healing.

Unlike rigid implantable devices, engineers can use these threads to make “smart” devices with complex shapes that can, for instance, follow the contours of a specific organ, researchers said. They can also be used to make “smart” bandages or to make clothes with built-in health monitors and other high-tech capabilities. Tests for long-term biocompatibility need to be run before hospitals can utilize the new technology, according to researchers. Visit www.nature.com/articles/micronano201639 to read the study.