	US 12,186,165 B2
	Optical fibers for optically sensing through wound dressings
Allan Kenneth Frazer Grugeon Hunt, Beverley (GB); Lee Ian Partington, Hessle (GB); Marcus Damian Phillips, Wakefield (GB); and Felix Clarence Quintanar, Hull (GB)
Assigned to T.J.Smith and Nephew, Limited, Hull (GB)
Appl. No. 17/280,109
Filed by T.J.Smith and Nephew, Limited, Hull (GB)
PCT Filed Sep. 26, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/076049 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 25, 2021, PCT Pub. No. WO2020/064937, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1815854 (GB), filed on Sep. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0338489 A1, Nov. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. A61F 13/05 (2024.01); A61L 15/22 (2006.01); A61M 1/00 (2006.01)

CPC A61F 13/05 (2024.01) [A61L 15/22 (2013.01); A61M 1/90 (2021.05); A61M 2205/3331 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3368 (2013.01)]

20 Claims

1. A wound treatment apparatus comprising:

a wound dressing comprising a wound cover and a wound filler configured to absorb wound exudate, the wound dressing being configured to be positioned proximate to a wound;

a plurality of optical fibers positioned at least partly in the wound dressing so that first ends of the plurality of optical fibers are positioned on an opposite side of the wound cover from second ends of the plurality of optical fibers, the plurality of optical fibers comprising a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber, and a set of optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers arranged in a grid pattern to detect a saturation level of the wound dressing by the wound exudate;

a mechanochromic material configured to indicate a pressure at the wound, the mechanochromic material being positioned on the same side of the wound cover as the second ends of the plurality of optical fibers;

an emitter configured to emit an electromagnetic radiation into the first end of the first optical fiber, the first optical fiber being configured to pass the electromagnetic radiation entering the first end of the first optical fiber to the mechanochromic material, the second optical fiber being configured to gather and pass an electromagnetic radiation that interacted with the mechanochromic material to the first end of the second optical fiber;

a detector configured to generate a signal responsive to an electromagnetic radiation exiting the first end of the second optical fiber and contacting the detector, the signal reflecting changes in the mechanochromic material; and

a processor configured to:

determine a measurement value from the signal, the measurement value being indicative of the pressure at the wound;

detect that the measurement value indicates loss of negative pressure at the wound;

in response to detecting that the measurement value indicates loss of negative pressure at the wound, activate a pressure source to provide negative pressure to the wound;

determine that the saturation level of the wound dressing satisfies a threshold; and

in response to determining that the saturation level of the wound dressing satisfies a threshold, provide an indication that the wound dressing should be replaced.