Developing a New Way to Detect Pressure Ulcers

Hospitals and nursing homes frequently encounter patients and residents with or at risk of developing pressure ulcers.  Although hospitals and nursing homes make great efforts to prevent pressure ulcers from developing or worsening, there is no method to detect early tissue damage before it is visible. However, interesting new research may develop in to a promising way to confront the challenges of pressure ulcer prevention.

Researchers at the University of California—Berkeley and the University of California—San Francisco have developed an automated sensing device to detect pressure ulcers before they are visible. This early warning device could assist treatment of high risk patients. The automatic sensing device—dubbed a “Smart Bandage”—uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers before they are visible and when early intervention is possible. The Smart Bandage has electrodes that are printed on to a piece of plastic that measure the strength of the electrical signals on the skin. Detecting the change in electrical resistance that occurs when a pressure ulcer has started to form but is not yet visible will allow early detection and treatment of pressure ulcers. According to an article recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the device was tested on a rat model and demonstrated the feasibility of a Smart Bandage for early detection of pressure ulcers.

The Smart Bandage is an interesting development for health care facilities that treat patients or residents who are at risk for pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers are particularly challenging for nursing homes and are the focus of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) quality measures rating system for nursing homes. Pressure ulcers are also often a focus of patient or resident litigation against a health care facility. The Smart Bandage could greatly assist health care providers in the challenge of preventing and treating pressure ulcers.