Surgical wound dressing incorporating connected hydrogel beads having an embedded electrode therein
View Patent ↗According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wound dressing system is presented. The wound dressing system includes a fluid permeable support layer, the support layer configured for positioning within a wound and adapted to generally conform to a topography of the wound, and to permit exudates from the wound to pass therethrough. The wound dressing system further includes a plurality of beads supported by the support layer, the beads defining an insulated inter-connected elongate member and an electrode embedded within and extending through at least a portion of the elongate member. Also, a current is generated by an external energy source that electrically flows through the electrode.
1. A wound dressing system, comprising:
a cover layer configured for positioning across a wound bed;
an elongate member positionable in the wound and retained within the wound bed by the cover layer, the elongate member including a plurality of beads with adjacent beads connected to each other by connecting segments, the beads and the connecting segments comprising a hydrogel material;
a wire electrode extending through at least some of the beads and through the connecting segments along a length of the elongate member; and
an external energy source electrically connected to the wire electrode.
2. The wound dressing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a conduit for supplying reduced pressure to the wound.
3. The wound dressing system according to claim 1 , wherein the wire electrode extends through an entire length of the elongate member.
4. The wound dressing system according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of at least one bead of the plurality of beads includes a conductive coating.
5. The wound dressing system according to claim 4 , wherein the conductive coating is at least one of Ag, Ag/AgCl, Cu, Au, carbon rubber, carbon film, and aluminum film.
6. The wound dressing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a voltage source embedded within the cover layer.
7. The wound dressing system according to claim 6 , wherein the voltage source is positioned at one end of the elongate member.
8. The wound dressing system according to claim 6 , wherein the voltage source is positioned so as to divide the elongate member into at least two portions.
9. The wound dressing system according to claim 1 , wherein each bead of the plurality of beads is sufficiently rigid to facilitate passage of the exudates through spaces defined between adjacent beads.
10. A wound dressing system, which comprises:
a cover layer configured for positioning across a wound bed;
an elongate member positionable in the wound bed, the elongate member including a plurality of beads, wherein each bead has an outer surface, and at least some of the outer surfaces have a generally annular conductive strip; and
a wire electrode extending along at least a portion of a length of the elongate member.
11. The wound dressing system according to claim 10 wherein the beads comprise a hydrogel material.