Mölnlycke acquires patent for smart solutions to detect infection in wounds

The Swedish medical solutions company, Mölnlycke, announced it is acquiring a patent from Innovation Skåne to help detect infections in wounds. Once developed, the company say the patent will play a major role in reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics in wound care.

This technology can detect infections and alert caregivers that the wound needs attention. It will help to minimize the prophylactic use of antibiotics and reduce the risk of complications related to infections.

The incidence of infection in hard-to-heal chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers, is high, with one in 20 patients undergoing surgery at risk of developing a surgical site infection. Infected wounds are costly, difficult to manage and hard to detect. In many cases, expensive antimicrobials are used prophylactically to prevent infections or to treat them once they have been established.

Barry McBride, Executive Vice President R&D said: “Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly significant threat to public health worldwide. This exciting new technology will help reduce the incidence of serious infection and minimize the unnecessary use of antibiotics.”

Joakim Nelson, CEO of Innovation Skåne, said: “This is an example of innovations originating from employees in Region Skåne and demands in their daily work. We share Mölnlycke’s goal of driving innovative improvements in healthcare and we are delighted Mölnlycke will be able to use this patent to help tackle a serious public healthcare issue.”