This Groundbreaking “Smart Suture” Device Could Make Surgical Wound Infections A Thing Of The Past

Have you ever undergone surgery and stressed yourself out over wound care? While surgical wound infections are relatively rare, they still “remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after surgery,” according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
But, a team of scientists from the NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering and the NSU Institute for Health Innovation and Technology has developed a “smart suture” device that can detect any wound issues immediately– making these terrible fatalities much more avoidable.
While most people’s primary wound concern is an infection, it is not the only reason why surgical wounds must be monitored.
For example, surgical wounds can separate or undergo various other complications. And, if the surgical site is deep or hard to reach, then monitoring becomes even more difficult for both doctors and the patient.
Unfortunately, much of the care becomes based on observation or radiological tests– both of which are not fool-proof at detecting issues before they become fatal.
This is the very reason why Professor John Ho, the study’s lead researcher, and his team set out to develop a more innovative device.
The new smart sutures, using small electronic sensors, are able to monitor gastric leakage, wound integrity, and tissue micromotions. All the while, this suture will provide the same healing outcome as a standard medical-grade suture.
The smart suture can detect various kinds of complications through its one-of-a-kind coating– a polymer gel.
Additionally, the smart suture can also sense if the stitch has unraveled or broken. Once any complication is detected, an alert is sent directly to the patient’s doctor, who is able to take timely action.

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This quick feedback response is possible through the smart sutures radio-frequency identification tag– or RFID.
And a massive benefit of this revolutionary smart suture is that it does not require any significant surgical procedure modifications. Doctors simply stitch up a wound as usual while threading through the electronic module to use the device.
While using this smart suture in trials, the researchers proved that this suture healed naturally without any significant variations from standard medical-grade sutures.
And, the polymer coating, as well as the energy levels necessary to use the device, were both deemed safe for humans.
Professor Ho is very hopeful that his team’s smart sutures will change post-operative care outcomes.
He said, “Currently, postoperative complications are often not detected until the patient experiences systemic symptoms like pain, fever, or a high heart rate. These smart sutures can be used as an early alert tool to enable doctors to intervene before the complication becomes life-threatening. This can lead to lower re-operation rates, faster recovery, and improved patient outcomes.”
Now, the team is continuing to develop more versions of this smart suture. Their next goal is to help patients lessen their length of stay at hospitals and provide them the opportunity to be discharged sooner.
Additional plans include detecting leakage and wound bleeding following gastrointestinal surgery and monitoring organs deeper in the body.
If this groundbreaking suture technology becomes standard in the medical field, wound complications and infections may very well become a “thing of the past.”
To read the complete scientific study, visit the link here.
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