Wound

In the not-too-distant future, we may see wound dressings that default to absorbing bodily fluids, while also releasing medication on demand. The same material could allow robots to cool themselves by sweating.

Ripping Band-Aids off your skin is never fun – but imagine having one on your heart or lung. Researchers have now created surgical tape that can stick to wet surfaces like organs, and more importantly, be removed safely when it’s no longer needed.

Stem cells are powerful tools that could one day unlock new frontiers in regenerative medicine. Now, a new study has shown that a certain type of stem cell can be delivered into injured tissues with dissolvable microneedles, to heal wounds.

If someone is suffering from a chronic wound, it's important for their doctor to continuously know the status of that injury. A new bandage is designed to keep physicians in the loop, via everyone's favorite wonder material – graphene.

The treatment of chronic wounds often involves the application of different medications, at different stages in the healing process. A new electronic bandage could allow this to happen, but without having to be removed for each application.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a smart bandage that changes color to signal either drug-resistant or drug-sensitive bacteria. It can then be triggered to release antibiotics or other chemicals to kill off the bugs.

Some studies suggest anti-inflammatory drugs can slow wound healing and bone repair. New research reveals our natural circadian clocks play a major role in healing, and anti-inflammatory drugs may be more effective if taken in the morning.

There's a problem with most bandages – because they adhere to the wound as it heals, they may reopen it when removed. A new wound dressing, however, doesn't stick to wounds, yet it does help stop the bleeding.

Polysporin may be in for some serious competition, as Swedish scientists have created a healing gel that not only kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but also reduces inflammation within wounds. It could someday replace antibiotic-based medications.

It can be difficult for people such as army medics, carrying an assortment of bandages in every shape and size. Thanks to recent research, however, they may one day simply be able to spray medication-laced fiber dressings directly onto wounds.

When someone has a severe burn, a protective covering needs to be temporarily grafted onto the wound site. Although that covering typically consists of skin from a human cadaver, live-cell pig skin has now been used on a patient for the first time.

​Most people think of turmeric as a kitchen spice, or perhaps as a health supplement that's taken orally. Now, however, scientists have incorporated curcumin – a compound extracted FROM turmeric – into a porous foam that's designed to heal skin wounds with a minimum of scarring.