The colour of healing wounds

Due to the aging population and increased incidence of diabetes and obesity, problematic wounds have become a major burden to society. Because wound care is labour-intensive and time-consuming, annual costs are 50b$ for the USA alone. Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is a frequently applied wound treatment with promising clinical results that reduces the need for labour-intensive wound care. NPWT dressings and equipment are available commercially, and the NPWT market size is expected to rise to 4.2b€ by 2019.

Goal of the present project is to obtain a solid understanding of the tissue response to NPWT. This will be done by using non-invasive optical measurement techniques in dedicated clinical experiments aimed at elucidating key issues of the tissue response to NPWT. The availability of quantitative optical spectroscopy, a novel real-time measurement technique based on the latest developments in biophotonics, is unique to this project. This technique is capable of quantifying various properties of the microvasculature such as the microvascular saturation, the tissue blood content, and the mean diameter of the capillaries, allowing for quantification of vasodilation. This measurement technique has been evaluated for cancer diagnosis in different experimental studies over the last decade. In addition to quantitative spectroscopy, laser Doppler flowmetry and transcutaneous oximetry will be used as these are standard techniques and will provide complementary information.

Increased understanding of the tissue response to NPWT will provide windows of opportunity for further improvement of NPWT treatment, such as the development of new dressing designs or treatment protocols. Moreover, the possibility of “smart dressings”, dressings with built-in sensors to personalize the treatment protocol will be investigated.