Microfluidic Bandage for Localized Oxygen-Enhanced Wound Healing

Abstract

An oxygen-enhanced, microfluidic bandage was fabricated out of polydimethlysiloxane (PDMS) and contains a 100 μm thick gas-permeable membrane that allows rapid diffusion of oxygen directly to the wound bed. The microfluidic bandage was characterized by measuring the effect of modulating oxygen concentrations, calculating the degree of localization in oxygen delivery when subjected to a non-planar platform, and determining the extent of oxygen penetration below the tissue surface. The concentration of the diffused oxygen (0.02 ± 0.73 to 99.2 ± 4.46%) was shown to rapidly equilibrate (~30 seconds) to the modulating input oxygen concentration (0 to 100%). The device also maintained localized oxygen delivery to a specified area when a non-planar irregularity was introduced. Finally, the extent of oxygen penetration was found to decrease as the thickness of tissue increased (>7% at 0.8 mm thick). These experiments demonstrate that this microfluidic bandage can be a viable tool for oxygen-enhanced wound healing.