E-textile based electrical stimulation for wound healing

Abstract

Electrical stimulation has been known to have a positive effect on wound healing since the 1960s, although it has not yet been universally adopted as a recommended treatment for various types of wounds. A review of the clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of electrical stimulation confirmed its positive impact, with some studies reporting that stimulation doubled the rate at which wounds healed. However, the low numbers of participants and lack of consistency in these studies has prevented widespread adoption.

This thesis has investigated the underlying principals of electrical stimulation in the wound healing process and developed an e-textile device which can be used easily in a clinical setting and provide a platform for future studies. Dispenser printing was used to fabricate the electrodes directly onto existing wound dressings. To improve the consistency of the electrodes, a system was developed using laser displacement measurement which allows the printer to track the height changes of an uneven surface, reducing printing errors by 80%.

To understand how the current generated by these electrodes passes through the skin, two electrical models of the skin were developed. One, an equivalent circuit model derived from physical measurements, and the other, a simulation model using material properties from the literature, were compared to assess their accuracy. The two models agreed regarding the overall shape of the skin's impedance, but there were significant differences in their predictions of the DC resistance indicating an error in the modelling of the stratum corneum. These model was used to assess the ability of the various electrical stimulation waveforms to induce cell migration in vitro, but restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, mean there was not enough time to achieve meaningful results.

Finally, a miniature, flexible stimulation device was fabricated. This device consists of a battery powered circuit capable of generating a 30V pulsed stimulation waveform, a novel magnetic connector to attach to a wound dressing and basic wound monitoring capabilities. The final device measured 50 × 30 × 10mm so can be worn under clothing and while performing other activities.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Thomas Alastair Greig: orcid.org/0000-0003-2745-235X

ORCID for Kai Yang: orcid.org/0000-0001-7497-3911

ORCID for Russel Torah: orcid.org/0000-0002-5598-2860

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