An innovative powder staunches heavy bleeding.
Meanwhile, a British research team has developed a double-impact dressing from plant-based polymers to reduce wound infections.
To do so, they created two very similar nanofibres from furan polyamide. One fibre received two additional carbon atoms to make it water-repellent, while an antibiotic was incorporated into the second fibre.
Both were woven into a mesh. Layered on top of one another, the wound-facing side releases the antibiotic, while the outer side provides protection by repelling water and preventing moisture loss.
In tests with two frequently occurring bacterial strains, the dressing reduced biofilm formation by 90%.
Others have worked on antibiotic-filled microneedles and battery-free electronic plasters. Mussels enhance adhesive plasters used on internal organ wounds.
