A fully integrated flexible wireless sensing system for wound flatness diagnosis

Abstract

In both plastic surgery and burn treatment departments, the management of postoperative wounds is a crucial element of surgical care, profoundly influencing patient recovery and the broader spectrum of healthcare outcomes. The monitoring of wound flatness after surgery, although a pivotal component of this process, is frequently underemphasized. In most cases, this parameter can only be judged based on doctors’ personal experience. Here, we propose a compact, fully integrated wireless sensing system encapsulated by soft biocompatible materials for quantitative assessment of wound flatness and long-term temperature. The absence of physical tethers and the ion-gel-based construction of the micro-structured sensor represent key defining features, resulting in high measurement resolution of 2 mm radius and 0.096 Ω/°C and reliable capabilities. In addition, these sensors can be connected to the server network or mobile clients to evaluate the state of postoperative suture wounds and monitor the patient’s recovery status. With our devices, detailed data on smoothness and temperature of sutured wounds can be collected, analyzed, and stored for medical assistance as well as being used to improve the quality of surgery.