Bio-Integrated Soft Electronic Surgical Mesh Implant and Wound Dressing for Soft Tissue Reinforcement and Wireless Sensing

Advancements in surgical mesh implants and wound dressings have largely focused on traditional designs and material synthesis, leaving room for innovation in multifunctional devices. Regeneration of damaged or diseased tissues and organs represents a major medical need as they pose significant risks such as postoperative complications, amputation and mortality. Current treatments are often costly, intricate, and only moderately effective. Herein, we present a bioresorbable electronic surgical mesh (BESM) and a water-powered, electronics-free dressings (WPEDs) for hernia repair and chronic wound healing, respectively. The BESM offers significant mechanical strength over extended periods, enables wireless postoperative pressure monitoring, and provides on-demand drug delivery to aid tissue repair and functionality. This mesh's design includes bioresorbable dielectric composites with a porous, pyramidal structure, enhancing the sensitivity of a wireless capacitive pressure sensor for intra-abdominal pressure monitoring. Integrated resistive microheaters with inductive coils facilitate a thermo-responsive drug delivery system for antibacterial agents. In vivo evaluations confirm the mesh's reliable, durable performance and its effectiveness in treating abdominal hernia defects, significantly reducing complications such as adhesions and infections. In parallel, WPED provide electro-therapy and offer a novel, cost-efficient, and practical solution for chronic wound healing, even under harsh environments. These dressings utilize a magnesium-silver/silver chloride battery and stimulation electrodes that generate a radial electric field upon hydration. Studies in diabetic mice have demonstrated that WPEDs can expedite wound healing by enhancing epidermal thickness, regulating inflammation, and encouraging angiogenesis. In preclinical models, WPED-treated wounds closed more rapidly than those treated with conventional methods, showing results comparable to those achieved with expensive biologics or complex electronics. These innovations highlight the effectiveness and potential of soft electronics and tissue reinforcement in improving surgical outcomes and postoperative wound care.