SWAN-iCare: A smart wearable and autonomous negative pressure device for wound monitoring and therapy

Abstract

The EU FP7 SWAN-iCare project aims at developing an integrated autonomous device for the monitoring and the personalized management of chronic wounds, mainly diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers. Most foot and leg ulcers are caused by diabetes and vascular problems respectively but a remarkable number of them are also due to the co-morbidity influence of many other diseases (e.g. kidney disease, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, inflammatory bowel disease). More than 10 million people in Europe suffer from chronic wounds, a number which is expected to grow due to the aging of the population. The core of the project is the fabrication of a conceptually new wearable negative pressure device equipped with Information and Communication Technologies. Such device will allow users to: (a) accurately monitor many wound parameters via non-invasive integrated micro-sensors, (b) early identify infections and (c) remotely provide an innovative personalized two-line therapy via non-invasive micro-actuators to supplement the negative pressure wound therapy. This paper describes the main components of the SWAN-iCare system and its potential impact in the area of wound management

SIM2PeD Intelligent monitoring system for prevention of diabetic foot

“…The proposed method identified the alerts model as the best architecture in detriment to the pictogram model that is widely used in portable devices that make use of Light AT. However, several comparative experimental studies such as the one directed by Texier et al (2013), strengthen the results obtained here, showing that the alerts model has better performance than the pictogram in DM patients.…”

“…Several possible prophylaxis models could be adopted in injuries associated with the diabetic foot, which can prevent amputations. Texier et al (2013) also claims that a multidisciplinary management that focuses on education, regular checkups of the foot and biomechanical assessments along with other care, should be adopted. It should be noted that each individual is different and the peculiarities influence significantly, the quality of life of the person.…”

A photometric stereo approach for chronic wound measurement

“…As these parameters are inherently distributed underneath the wound surface, this approach is validated to be able to achieve similar performance compared to those radiometric and luminescence imaging devices in quantifying the dimension of wound surface and monitoring wound healing progress (Meier et al, 2011). The latest research also developed wearable contact sensors for the accurate measurement of wound parameters and early identifying of infections (Texier et al, 2013;Mehmood et al, 2014). All these approaches form good ground for the wound management; however, the parameters produced by them may differ from case by case because the external factors such ambient lighting condition and environmental noise may change dramatically during deploying these techniques.…”

Temperature- and pH-sensitive wearable materials for monitoring foot ulcers

“…SWAN-iCare (smart wearable and autonomous negative pressure device for wound monitoring and therapy) is a large-scale integrating European project seventh framework program that tackles the challenge of developing wearable devices and sensors to monitor and manage foot and venous ulcers 13,14. The objective is to deliver a personalized therapy to patients whose ulcer status is remotely monitored so that a prompt action can be put in place in case of infection.…”