Technology developed by Sheffield Hallam University that can quickly identify the risk of infection in women who have given birth by caesarean section has won an international research award.
Health researchers at the University’s Faculty of Health and Wellbeing have been recognised for their innovative work in developing a thermal-imaging camera that will allow clinicians to see the different characteristics that make up an infected and non-infected wound and could determine whether a patient is at risk of developing a wound infection after they are discharged from hospital.
The project, which has received funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC), has won a Journal of Wound Care award for ‘innovation in surgical site infection’. This is the second time the research has received international recognition after it won ‘best clinical research’ in 2016.
A team of scientists, clinicians, engineers and computer scientists from Sheffield Hallam, University of Sheffield, University of Huddersfield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals have developed a wound technology prototype that could provide early diagnosis of wound infection in women undergoing caesarean section before any visible infection signs appear.
The study team have trialled this technique in patients undergoing abdominal surgery who are of both normal weight and obese and the team are now looking to open up the research to further explore the effects of obesity on wound healing in a range of surgical specialties.
Women who have a high body mass index (BMI) are most at risk of developing an infection after a caesarean section, which presents problems for new mothers. But the research team believe thermal images taken around the area of the wound could detect signs of potential infection just 48 hours after surgery.
The technique could also be applied to patients undergoing other types of surgery and it is hoped that the study will eventually contribute towards a general reduction in antibiotic prescribing.
Leading the study, Charmaine Childs, professor of clinical science at Sheffield Hallam, said: “Infection in surgical wounds can bring misery and morbid complications to many patients and is the third most frequent healthcare-associated infection, imposing a significant burden on NHS resources.
“Caesarean wound infections usually develop after the woman has been discharged from hospital but by using the thermal imaging technique, clinicians could better monitor patients at the bedside immediately after surgery. This would allow for early detection of the risk of infection before it becomes a problem. The short stays in hospital after the birth of a baby make this technique an important step forward in wound infection surveillance and I am thrilled our work has been recognised once again.
“It will also help to identify the patients who are in greatest need of antibiotics and will help rationalise the prescribing of antibiotics to those in most need therefore preventing the overprescribing and sometimes unnecessary use of these precious drugs.”
