With smart sutures, doctors no longer have to worry about whether patients are wounded or not.

The surgical sutures have historical records of ancient Egypt dating back to 3000 BC, and the bones used at that time have been replaced by silver needles, and the silk and animal hair used for suturing have also been replaced with synthetic materials. But no matter how it changes, the function of the suture has not changed, that is, the body tissue is stitched together to help the patient heal.

Recently, researchers from Tufts University have developed a "smart" suture for the first time. This suture has built-in nanosensors that can monitor electronic and microscopic data wirelessly, collecting diagnostics while helping human tissue heal. data. Researchers can use these sutures to monitor physiological parameters and tissue and organ health, including blood pressure and temperature.

The team said that the smart suture can meet some specific medical functions, such as the ability of these sutures to replace part of the capillaries, to sense pH and glucose levels, and to detect temperature and material pressure. At the same time, the suture can also create a “Complete Thread Diagnostic Platform” that allows liquids transported by different sutures to support each other and synchronize sensor data and results to smartphones and computers.

“We hope that these sutures may be woven into orthopedic surgery, or integrated into the tissue during surgery, providing valuable information for wound healing and treatment of chronic diseases,” said team leader Dr. Pooria Mostafalu. .