Non-invasive, 3D printed, colourimetric, early wound-infection indicator

Colour change warns of wound infection

31 May 2022

An indicator that changes colour on bacterial infection can act as an early-warning system for detecting when chronic wounds are beginning to turn nasty.

Chronic wounds are those that linger for more than three months. They are susceptible to infection by microbes, which can take hold very quickly and can set back healing by months. Wounds are usually inspected when dressings are changed every few days, but incipient infections can often be overlooked.

Now, four researchers at Queen’s University Belfast, in the United Kingdom, have demonstrated an indicator that changes colour in response to carbon dioxide given off by bacteria in chronic wounds. It can be incorporated in sealed dressings, enabling continual monitoring without removing the dressing.

Importantly, the indicator can detect infections before they develop protective biofilms, which can complicate wound treatment.

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References

1. Chemical Communications 58, 439–442 (2022). doi: 10.1039/d1cc06147j