Evolving functions of plasters and patches in health care: The historical progress of classical medical devices

Abstract

Plasters are devices useful for protecting wounds so as to avoid and prevent their contact with dirt and microbiological agents in order to accelerate the healing process. Already about 2500 years B.C., in Mesopotamia, clay tablets were adopted for the management of wounds. The ancient Sumerians combined fir resin and pine resin together with beer and flour to produce a healing paste that was to be applied on the human skin. In the last hundred years, plasters have undergone a substantial evolution passing from their initial physical role of coverage and protection to their current multiple effects and functions. Nowadays the variety of plasters and patches is qualitatively and quantitatively particularly ample. On qualitative grounds, they range, just to cite some examples, from classical coverage plasters to transparent ones for visually monitoring wounds, from drug-containing plasters to heating patches for back and muscular pain, from sleep aid patches to nicotine ones. On quantitative grounds, it has been calculated that at present hundreds of patches are available on the market to face the wide spectrum of medical challenges that are daily posed to health personnel. The case of a particularly recent device, the diabetic patch, is very interesting because on the one hand it demonstrates the usefulness and flexibility of advanced technology applied to common diseases and, on the other, it provides a perspective on the potential future applications of “classical” medical devices in the different contexts of the monitoring of health conditions, the management of health disorders and the treatment of specific diseases.