Doctors at UHSM have been testing a pioneering device which could revolutionise the way people with serious burns are treated in future and could cut their time in hospital.

A team of European researchers have developed a way to quickly identify bacterial infections in critically-ill patients. The faster infections can be diagnosed in people with burns, serious wounds or chronic skin ulcers, the quicker they can be treated.

Until now, doctors have had to rely on microbiological tests that take several days to identify which bacteria is causing the infection. But scientists from Manchester University have now invented a prototype device which can identify types of bacteria from volatile gases emitted from a wound.

The experts identified the three major types of bacteria which account for about 80 per cent of the infections in burns. They then identified the volatile chemicals spread by the bacteria when they multiply.

With this information, the team designed an instrument – about the size of an A4 file – containing eight gas sensors to identify the type of infection. The complex but compact instrument has been tested by the UHSM and also at a hospital in Lithuania as part of a three-year EU funded research programme.

The project was intended to explore if the emerging technology could be of value in the clinical setting, with a group of patients with the most complex and challenging group of injuries.

Manchester University have said that a number of companies have shown an interest in manufacturing the device.