By Q Radio News
Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast have invented a tiny indicator that changes colour if a patient’s wound shows early signs of infection.
The finger-tip size creation detects the beginnings of infection by sniffing the air above it.
It can be added to already existing bandages and allows infections to be detected without taking off the dressing.
It is estimated that around 1 to 2 per cent of people in developed countries will experience a chronic wound in their lifetime and in the UK £3.2 billion is spent each year treating the problem.
Professor Andrew Mills from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen’s has been leading the project, alongside colleagues from the School of Pharmacy and School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Professor Andrew Mills
The project is entering the next phase where an app will be developed so that the patient will be alerted if there is an infection.
The same information would also be sent to the patient’s nurse or doctor and be used to inform treatment plans.
The research findings have been published in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s ChemComm journall https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/cc/d1cc06147j
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