By The Mail on Sunday Reporter
Published: 22:41 GMT, 16 February 2019 | Updated: 22:43 GMT, 16 February 2019
View
comments
A high-tech plaster that helps wounds heal twice as effectively as traditional dressings is now available on the NHS.
The patches are designed to treat diabetic leg and foot ulcers – long-term wounds that often fail to close for months or even years and affect 115,000 Britons.
Scientists behind the pioneering plasters, called UrgoStart (urgo.co.uk), predict they could save 3,000 diabetic patients from limb amputations every year.
The patches are designed to treat diabetic leg and foot ulcers (stock image)
Microbes in the foam padding and sterile fibres in the adhesive patch interact with bacteria on the skin, killing germs and kick-starting the body’s natural healing process.
The dressing remains sterile for a week and can be changed easily. Diabetes patients currently face regular appointments to re-dress infected wounds that take an average of five months to heall.
A new internet-based service could help insomniacs finally get a good night’s sleep.
SleepHubs is said to treat insomnia,
