How Electric Bandages Accelerate Healing

Humans are fleshy vulnerable creatures with all insides and blood vessels protected by what is our largest organ: our skin.

Many different types of open wounds exist causing damage to skin through various mechanisms including abrasion, laceration, and puncture injuries.

Normal wound healing process often called Cascade of Healing represents remarkably complex biological response divided into four sequential phases coordinating tissue repair.

Hemostasis starts as soon as you get injured with primary goal to stop bleeding; within seconds of injury body activates blood clotting system.

After wound seals enters inflammation phase focusing on destroying any pathogens that may have entered wound; most important immune cells are macrophages that arrive to clear debris gulping it through phagocytosis.

Once wound cleaned out proliferative phase begins where wound is filled and covered; fibroblasts enter wound and produce collagen then epithelial cells cover outside.

During maturation phase new tissue slowly gains strength and improved flexibility with collagen fibers reorganizing, tissue remodeling and maturing, and overall increase in tensile strength.

If wound large or chronic it’s often not easy; chronic wounds often happen in people with diabetes for number of reasons including elevated blood glucose damaging tissue and reducing blood flow causing nerve damage and loss of sensation.

Chronic wounds characterized by one of deadliest and most persistent types of infections: bacterial biofilms where bacteria organized into tight clusters protecting themselves behind layer of sugar polymers and proteins.

Biofilms can colonize medical devices and implants such as catheters, prosthetic joints, and heart valves; 65 percent of hospital-acquired infections caused by bacteria growing as biofilms representing 1.7 million annual US hospital infections.

Killing bacteria with electricity surprisingly not new concept; in 1992 reported that low-strength electric field helped to kill biofilms that formed on stainless steel but scientists did not yet know why it worked.

Wasn’t until 2015 that one possible mechanism for electric disruption started to be revealed; scientists now understand bacteria can send messages electrically using potassium ions to propagate electrical signals much like neurons do.

Researchers developed wound dressings that use electric field to disrupt biofilm infection called WEDS or Wireless Electro-Ceutical Devices; one type electrochemically self-generates around one volt of electricity upon contact with body fluids.

One study showed that silver-zinc electrical wound dressing along with acellular dermal matrix provided full healing within six weeks on wounds that conventional care had been unable to close in up to two years.

In addition to bacterial-fighting abilities electricity also seems to help boost human immune response; researchers found that electric charges recruit certain immune cells like macrophages to wound site which further accelerates healing.

Researchers determined that electric shocks were stimulating angiogenesis which is growth of new blood vessels; these new blood vessels can then deliver more blood flow and immune cells to damaged area allowing wounds to heal faster.

Some electro-ceutical devices are already FDA approved and on market but there is still lot of room for this technology to be refined; because electricity and wound healing seems beneficial in many ways it will continue to be studied rigorously.

Caring for chronic wounds puts healthcare system under huge amount of strain; wound treatment is one of biggest strains on healthcare system so new technologies like electric bandages could be one solution to help alleviate that pressure.