132675SteriDress: Preventing Infections through Active DressingClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UKGoing to hospital carries an increasing risk of catching dangerous infections, especially for patients who undergo surgery or receive permanent catheters. Through broken skin, germs that we might otherwise fight off can directly enter our body, where they cause local pain and swelling, sepsis or even death by organ failure. Globally, so-called hospital-acquired infections are on the rise (200,000 cases per year in the UK) and kill up to 12% of patients affected with each extra day in the intensive care unit costing the NHS an additional £1000 per day. Infections can be prevented by keeping wound areas sterilised. Our technology is designed to ensure that the wound area is always sterile. We are creating an active wound dressing, "SteriDress", that is used with a catheter, to keep the catheter entry point disinfected. This is achieved by applying precise doses of disinfectant from within the dressing itself at pre-programmed times. Not only will this dressing save lives by preventing infections, the dressing can remain in place longer than conventional wound dressings, so patients will be spared the discomfort of dressing changes and nurses will be freed up for other activities. Drawing on our expereince with disinfectant dispensing devices , we will select the best materials and designs for SteriDress.