Original article published on sciencedaily.com | May 17, 2019
New research out of Indiana University School of Medicine proves that electrical fields can be used to disrupt bacterial biofilms. Implementing this technology into a textile such as wound dressings will reduce complications stemming from infection. Not only will this impact wound care and other hospital fabrics, this will advance burn treatments, post-surgery care, and medical devices placed in the body.
From Science Daily:
Bacterial biofilms are thin, slimy films of bacteria that form on some wounds, including burns or post-surgical infections, as well as after a medical device, such as a catheter, is placed in the body. These bacteria generate their own electricity, using their own electric fields to communicate and form the biofilm, which makes them more hostile and difficult to treat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 65 percent of all infections are caused by bacteria with this biofilm phenotype, while the National Institutes of Health estimates that number is closer to 80 percent.
Researchers at IU School of Medicine are the first to study the practice of using an electric field-based dressing to treat biofilms rather than antibiotics. They discovered the dressing is not only successful in fighting the bacteria on its own, but when combined with other medications can make them even more effective. This discovery has the potential to create significant changes in the way physicians treat patients with bacterial infections which are resistant to antibiotics. The dressing can also help prevent new biofilm infections from forming in the future. The dressing electrochemically self-generates 1 volt of electricity upon contact with body fluids such as wound fluid or blood, which is not enough to hurt or electrocute the patient.
Read original article, Electrical field-based dressing helps heal wound infections published by Science Daily.
Indiana University. “Electric field-based dressing helps heal wound infections.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 May 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190517173456.htm>.
More on electricity and wound care:
Electrifying Wound Care: Better Bandages to Destroy Bacteria
