Wearable Technology for Chronic Wound Monitoring: Current Dressings, Advancements, and Future Prospects

Matthew S. Brown, Brandon Ashley, Ahyeon Koh

Chronic non-healing wounds challenge tissue regeneration and impair infection regulation for patients afflicted with this condition. Next generation wound care technology capable of in situ physiological surveillance which can diagnose wound parameters, treat various chronic wound symptoms, and reduce infection at the wound noninvasively with the use of a closed loop therapeutic system would provide patients with an improved standard of care and an accelerated wound repair mechanism. The indicating biomarkers specific to chronic wounds include blood pressure, temperature, oxygen, pH, lactate, glucose, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and infection status. A wound monitoring device would help decrease prolonged hospitalization, multiple doctors' visits, and the expensive lab testing associated with the diagnosis and treatment of chronic wounds. A device capable of monitoring the wound status and stimulating the healing process is highly desirable. In this review, we discuss the impaired physiological states of chronic wounds and explain the current treatment methods. Specifically, we focus on improvements in materials, platforms, fabrication methods for wearable devices, and quantitative analysis of various biomarkers vital to wound healing progress.