Wound Care (archive)

Improving infection diagnosis in the $5.5 billion advanced wound care market.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of amputation world-wide, due to neuropathy (loss of sensation) and poor blood circulation which can mean patients are more likely to suffer severe skin trauma and slow wound healing. There are approximately 6,000 diabetes-associated major limb amputations every year in the UK, costing the NHS £650 million per annum. Only 50% of patients survive for a further 2 years following an amputation.

As numbers of people with diabetes are expected to rise globally, the economic and health burden of diabetic foot complications will inevitably increase. The current diagnostic assessment for infection is clinical e.g. redness, heat, swelling, temperature and pain; however few of these symptoms may be present, making diagnosis very difficult. Antibiotic therapy may be initiated at this stage, but there is no information at this stage to guide the choice of the right antibiotic. The long turnaround time between sending swabs or biopsies (which are impractical to obtain during routine hospital clinics) and receiving results can introduce extensive delays between onset and the targeting of effective treatments.

Microbiosensor is committed to improving the care of patients with long-term chronic wounds. We are developing a low-cost point-of-care monitoring device to provide a rapid method of monitoring bacterial infection at a wound site. Designed to be robust, simple to use and easily understood by healthcare providers, these diagnostics will also signal the antibiotic susceptibility of the most abundant colonising species.