Medical Design Briefs - January 2022 - 29

fibrillation with high reliability, " Lubitz
says. " Since so many consumers use wearables,
it is possible that algorithms such as
the one we studied could be applied widely
to help identify undiagnosed atrial fibrillation,
allowing patients to obtain care
before devastating complications such as a
disabling stroke may occur. Most of the
episodes of undiagnosed atrial fibrillation
detected occurred during sleep, and we
suspect that these episodes were asymptomatic.
Since the algorithm is most active
when wearers are physically inactive, the
wearable should be worn during sleep for
the greatest benefits. "
The algorithm is currently being
reviewed by the FDA for clearance and
widespread use. The study did not test
whether screening for atrial fibrillation
leads to a reduction in strokes, which
Suture of the Future Fights Infection
The smart bandage can
dispense antibiotic, monitor
wound-healing biomarkers,
and report important data
directly to doctors.
Technion
Haifa, Israel
It is a staple of science fiction to mock
sutures as outdated. The technique has,
after all, been in use for at least 5,000 years.
Surely medicine should have advanced
since ancient Egypt. Prof. Hossam Haick
from the Wolfson department of chemical
engineering at the Technion has finally
turned science fiction into reality. His lab
succeeded in creating a smart, sutureless
dressing that not only binds wounds
together, but also wards off infection and
reports the wound's condition directly to
doctors' computers. The study was published
in Advanced Materials.
Current surgical procedures entail the
surgeon cutting the human body, doing
what needs to be done, and sewing the
wound shut - an invasive procedure that
damages
surrounding
healthy
tissue.
Some sutures degrade by themselves - or
should degrade - as the wound heals.
Others need to be manually removed.
Dressing is then applied over the wound
and medical personnel monitor the
wound by removing the dressing to allow
observation for signs of infection like
swelling, redness, and heat. This procedure
is painful to the patient, and disruptive
to healing, but it is unavoidable.
Working with these methods also means
that infection is often discovered late,
since it takes time for visible signs to
appear and more time for medical staff to
come around and see them. In developed
countries with good sanitation available,
about 20 percent of patients develop infections
post-surgery, necessitating additional
Medical Design Briefs, January 2022
Cov
Lubitz notes is an opportunity for
future research.
Co-authors are Anthony Faranesh, BS;
Caitlin Selvaggi; Steven Atlas, MD; David
D. McManus, MD; Daniel E. Singer,
MD; Sherry Pagoto, PhD; Alexandros
Pantelopoulos, PhD; and Andrea Foulkes,
ScD. The study was funded by Fitbit.
For more information, visit https://
newsroom.heart.org.
Self-healing, antibacterial, and multifunctional wound dressing in action. (Credit: Technion)
treatment and extending the recovery
time. The figure and consequences are
much worse in developing countries.
■ How It Works
Prior to beginning a procedure, the
dressing - which is very much like a
smart Band-Aid - developed by Prof.
Haick's lab will be applied to the site of
the planned incision. The incision will
then be made through it. Following the
surgery, the two ends of the wound will
be brought together, and within three
seconds the dressing will bind itself
together, holding the wound closed, similarly
to sutures. From then, the dressing
will be continuously monitoring the
wound, tracking the healing process,
checking for
signs of infection like
changes in temperature, pH, and glucose
levels, and report to the medical
personnel's smartphones or other
devices. The dressing will also itself
release antibiotics onto the wound area,
preventing infection.
Most people discard their late-night
cinema-inspired ideas. Not Prof. Haick,
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
ToC
The sensing part of MFDW. (Credit: Technion)
who, the very next day after his Eureka
moment, was researching and making
plans. The first publication about a selfhealing
sensor came in 2015. At that
time, the sensor needed almost 24 hours
to repair itself. By 2020, sensors were
healing in under a minute, but while they
29

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Medical Design Briefs - January 2022

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