Bioimpedance sensor array for monitoring chronic wounds: Validation of method feasibility.

Abstract

In an ageing society, the incidence of hard-to-heal wounds is rising. Chronic wound healing is a complex process, which requires specialised treatment. Clinical assessment of the wound is essential to establish care approaches but is usually based on visual evaluation and it remains challenging. Therefore, innovative quantitative methods for the assessment of chronic wounds are needed. We conducted a single-centre observational study designed to assess the feasibility of a bioimpedance measurement method conducted with a multielectrode sensor array to monitor the wound healing process in patients with chronic wounds of venous, mixed venous-arterial and diabetic aetiology. In total, 104 measurements of bioimpedance were conducted in 18 ulcers during the study. Across all 7 patients analysed, the bioimpedance of the ulcers was consistently increasing as the wound surface was decreasing. The variables had significant (p < 0.001) and strong negative correlation (r = -0.86). We validated the feasibility of the bioimpedance measurement method for the monitoring of the wound healing process on the lower legs. It may be a promising quantitative method for monitoring the status of the wounds. However, long-term measurements are needed to show the usability of the electrode dressing and bioimpedance measurement in the assessment of chronic wounds.