Flexible sensors for real-time monitoring of moisture levels in wound dressings.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have investigated methods to monitor the moisture distribution and filling percentage of dressings during wound management. In this study, a new system allowing moisture monitoring across the wound dressing to be measured is examined.

METHOD: The system is composed of a wound bed model with a fluid injection system to mimic exudate flow, a flexible sensor array and data acquisition software. The sensor is composed of 14 flexible electrode arrays, screen-printed on a flexible support and placed on the top of a wound dressing. The system is used to evaluate the performance of a foam-based dressing model.

RESULTS: During constant injection of fluid, the wound dressing absorbed moisture at the wound interface throughout the experiment, and expanded as the fluid spread from the wound bed to the edging areas of the foam. The in-time monitoring by the use of the screen-printed electrodes allowed a mapping of the dressing wet surface and estimation of the foam saturation (filling percentage) based on a simple acquisition method without the need to remove the dressing from the wound bed.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study propose a non-invasive method to monitor the filling of the wound dressing and consequently, a potential solution for determining the optimal dressing change during wound management without causing irritation or further damage to the periwound skin.