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  Technology   Smart stitches send data as they heal wounds

Smart stitches send data as they heal wounds

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Jul 25, 2016, 11:33 pm IST
Updated : Jul 25, 2016, 11:33 pm IST

The threads can collect diagnostic data such as tissue temperature, pH and glucose levels, stress and strain. It can even sense if an infection is coming on.

STICTHES.JPG
 STICTHES.JPG

The threads can collect diagnostic data such as tissue temperature, pH and glucose levels, stress and strain. It can even sense if an infection is coming on.

In the medicine world, stitches are the epitome of low-tech. You get cut, and just like a seamstress with a pair of ripped trousers, your doctor simply sews you up. But what if stitches did more than closed wounds What if they could reveal how the healing was coming along

That’s the promise of the “smart sutures” invented by a team of researchers led by engineers from Tufts University. Starting with thread that ranged from basic cotton to sophisticated synthetic, the researchers embedded electronics, microfluidics, and nano-scale sensors to create high-tech diagnostic sutures. The threads can collect diagnostic data such as tissue temperature, pH and glucose levels, and stress and strain. It can even sense if an infection is coming on.

What’s more, these super-stitches can then wirelessly send the collected data to a smartphone or computer, potentially giving health professionals a real-time glimpse inside an injury. The smart threads could be used in more than just wounds, say the researchers. They could also be embedded in organs, orthopedic implants, and perhaps even knitted or embroidered into smart fabrics for other applications.

Source: www.popsci.com