Fraunhofer Center for Digital Diagnostics ZDD
Fraunhofer Center for Digital Diagnostics ZDD

Project »KISMADI«

Project description

The KISMADI project has the objective of developing an innovative intelligent wound dressing that uses wireless sensor technology to record current wound conditions in poorly healing wounds, such as the diabetic foot. This data is transmitted to intelligent software that analyzes individual wound conditions and provides medical staff with recommendations for specific treatment. The aim is to efficiently support and even accelerate the healing process.

In the manufacturing process, an existing wound dressing (Fraunhofer ISC) is adapted with sensors (Fraunhofer IZM). These sensors are woven or spun into the tissue matrix. The surface is then treated with antimicrobial peptides (AMP, Fraunhofer IZI-BB) to prevent the formation of biofilms that could interfere with the measurement. The recorded data is transmitted to an AI (Fraunhofer FIT) via a wireless interface.

The wound cuff is designed as a single-use product so that the low-cost, flat and flexible sensor technology can be discarded after use, while the expensive electronics responsible for the wireless transmission of the signals are reused in an external cuff. This separation ensures, among other things, that the electronics do not have to be sterilized.

In the subsequent project phase, additional applications related to a wound event will be integrated into the AI-controlled system. This will help to comprehensively improve the patient's state of health.

A particular advantage of the KISMADI system is the location- independent evaluation of wound conditions by medical providers. The intelligent software is not tied to the patient's location, which is particularly important in rural areas. This ensures effective support with limited access to medical care.

Contribution to the mission of the Fraunhofer Center for Digital Diagnostics

Wound care represents a valuable contribution to medical treatment in rural areas of Brandenburg and offers a point-of-care (POC) solution for underserved areas. This initiative is particularly important given the cost pressures and physician shortages faced by many rural communities. The Wound Cuff System was developed to address these challenges by providing high quality care.

The described system is highly flexible and can be equipped with additional applications and sensors to document and evaluate different disease and care conditions. For example, motion sensors as well as acoustic and optical sensors could be integrated to analyze the patient's surroundings, among other things. Intact areas of the body could also be monitored and, if necessary, analyzed in order to provide AI-supported recommendations for action. The focus is on the patient as a complete entity, with the relevant parameters being processed by the AI on a case-specific basis depending on the issue being addressed.

Concrete collaborations with senior care providers have already been initiated. As part of these collaborations, a decubitus prophylaxis sensor is also being developed, which could result in significant resource savings in care. This industrial partnership and an interested cost provider have already been established via the application. In addition, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) has been convinced by the models, and intensive discussions are taking place regarding cooperation. The KV has long been pursuing the vision of an intelligently networked “village” that harmonizes perfectly with the models. In addition, contact has been established with a large health insurance company, which is also showing great interest in intelligent digital networking in the healthcare sector.

A further application, which is to be integrated into the AI-controlled system, is also being developed and will help to relieve the burden on nursing staff and bring an additional aspect to the overall system. The hardware and software for the complex AI-controlled application system is currently being installed at IZI-BB. The corresponding interfaces to the various applications will be available shortly.

This initiative will not only improve wound care, but also strengthen the entire healthcare system in Brandenburg, especially for the rural population.

Vision, advantages and potential industrial benefits

The project focuses on integrating and interlinking various applications in intelligent software to enable decentralized diagnostics. This is particularly important in underserved regions, especially in rural areas, where the aim is to relieve the pressure on medical care.

The system will consist of a variety of health and care applications working together under the umbrella of sophisticated artificial intelligence. This AI will be able to develop strategies and evaluate specific issues in order to ideally provide recommendations for action for the healthcare staff.

The applications under development relate to both medical technology and care technology. Contacts and discussions are already underway with interested companies.