Treating wounds has become far more sophisticated than sewing stitches and applying gauze, but dressings still have shortcomings. Now scientists are reporting the next step in the evolution of wound treatment with a material that leads to faster healing than existing commercial dressings and prevents potentially harmful bacteria from sticking. Their study appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Yung Chang and colleagues note that the need for improved dressings is becoming urgent as the global population ages. With it, healthcare providers will see more patients with bed sores and associated chronic skin wounds. An ideal dressing would speed up healing in addition to protecting a wound from bacterial infection. But current options fall short in one way or another. Hydrogels provide a damp environment to promote healing, but they don't allow a wound to "breathe." Dry films with tiny pores allow air to move in and out, but blood cells and bacteria can stick to the films and threaten the healing process. To solve these problems all at once, Chang's team looked to new materials.
They took a porous dry film and attached a mix of structures called zwitterions, which have been used successfully to prevent bacteria stickiness in blood filtering and other applications. The resulting material was slick to cells and bacteria, and it kept a moist environment, allowed the wound to breathe and encouraged healing. When the scientists tested it on mice, their wounds healed completely within two weeks, which is faster than with commercial dressings.
The authors acknowledge funding from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, the Chung Yuan Christian University and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Source: American Chemical Society
CDC Speaks About New Data From Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Fact Sheet
July 18th 2024In a follow-up to Infection Control Today's (ICT's) article on the CDC's Antimicrobial Resistance Threats in the US 2021-2022 release, Michael Craig, MPP, director of CDC's Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit, answers ICT's questions.
The 90’s Club: A Successful Hand Hygiene Adherence Campaign
July 9th 2024The "90’s SwipeSense Club" significantly improved hand hygiene adherence at Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center. By incentivizing adherence through 1990s-themed rewards and using SwipeSense technology to track hygiene practices, the hospital increased adherence rates from 53% in 2021 to 84% by May 2024.
Hand Hygiene Adherence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Safety Is Universal
July 1st 2024Hebah al Zamel, MSN, CIC, CPHQ, an infection preventionist in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a member of ICT's Editorial Advisory Board, describes how hand hygiene is handled in Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Qasim.