smartBandage - Developing a demonstrator for continuous monitoring of compression therapy efficacy

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Venous leg ulceration (VLU) is a chronic condition that affects roughly 1% of the population. The preferred treatment option is application of compression therapy, which alongside wearer activity promotes healing. However, up to 73% compression bandages are inadequately applied with no method to measure accurate pressure or monitor patient activity. Discomfort and lack of awareness means 55% of patients are non-compliant and healing takes much longer than the target 6 months. VLU costs the UK NHS £198m per year, the majority of which is due to community nursing time who spend ~50% of their time on patient visits. At Smartlife, we have smartBandage, a patent protected intelligent textile solution, which enables accurate measuring of graduated pressure continuously and in real-time. Our solution sends information wirelessly to a user application to be accessed by both patient and carer. This allows monitoring of wound healing, bandage movement or wear and patient activity. The outputs mean treatment can be personally tailored and patient awareness is increased promoting treatment adherence and so improving healing rates. Savings of £80m per year are predicted for the healthcare industry in the UK as well as significant social benefits. Partnered with Crawford Healthcare, the aim of this project is to take smartBandage from proof of concept to a working prototype prepared for medical certification.