Patch – an indicator of infection

The new patch recognizes the suppuration of the wound
Copper newsGerman scientists have developed a patch that changes color when an infection develops in a wound, The Daily Mail reports (The intelligent plasters that turn purple if wound is not healing properly).

The treatment and closure of the wound with a bandage or plaster does not always completely protect against infection causing suppuration. Moreover, such an infection can develop much faster than the patch will be replaced.

To recognize suppuration at the earliest stages, researchers from the Fraunhofer Research Institute for Modular Solid-State Technologies have developed an indicator patch.

Its action is based on the fact that the infection changes the acid-base balance of tissues. Healthy skin and uninfected wound have a pH below five. With the development of infection, the pH increases to 6.5 – 8.5. (pH is a hydrogen index, its values from 0 to 7 correspond to an acidic reaction, from 7 to 14 – alkaline.)

The indicator in the material from which the patch is made reacts to a change in pH, turning from yellow to purple.

According to Sabine Trupp, head of development, the research team had to overcome a number of difficulties in order to firmly bind the indicator to the fibers of the material, preserving its chemical stability.

The prototype of the patch was successfully tested in the laboratory. Currently, its clinical trials are planned on the basis of the dermatological clinic of the University of Regensburg.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru18.11.2010