By use of electrospinning is now possible for medics to produce a bandage with drug-delivery capabilities directly onto wounds.
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The problem with using electrospinning to apply bandages is that it requires extremely high voltages. So while it can generate polymer fibers for many purposes, it is not a great idea to use it to transfer threads onto living creatures.
Scientists from the Montana Technological University invented a solution to this problem by creating an electrospinning tool with a restrained electric field that is safe to apply bandages onto living surfaces.
The new instrument doesn't directly apply the fibers to the skin but uses air to spray the bandage onto the patient instead. A detailed explanation of the device can be found in an article published in the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology.
Lane Huston, one of the authors of the article, stated that in spray painting, pressurized gas directly pushes particles toward a surface, generating a kind of deposited material. She continues to explain that the device is used by directing its nozzle at the desired surface during operation, causing a fiber mat to applied onto that surface.
The tool is meant to adequately cover wounds and administer controlled drug delivery over time. The fibers used to cover wounds sticks to human skin as they adhere to materials that hold moisture.
The scientists hope that their newly developed technology can be used to help doctors and emergency response teams in their work. The tool might be especially useful in countryside regions where other direct care might not be readily obtainable.
Sources and further reading: Combined electrostatic and air driven electrospinning for biomedical applications
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