article_snippet: Scientists in the U.S. have devised an implant in a tiny silk 'purse' that kills infections after surgery and then dissolves in the body.
article_snippet: an implant uses heat to kill off bacteria.
article_snippet: an implant consists of a tiny, magnesium coil wrapped in a pocket of silk protein, and is implanted during surgery - if the patient later shows sign of infection, an implant can be switched on using a remote control.
article_snippet: This is an improvement on previous medical implant devices, which are made from non-degradable materials that need to be removed.
article_snippet: Researchers at Tufts University have used an implant in mice infected with Staphylococcus aureus, raising an implant temperature for two periods of ten minutes.
article_snippet: Within 24 hours an implant was infection-free.
article_snippet: This is an important step forward for the development of on-demand medical devices that can be turned on remotely,' Researchers at Tufts University said. '
article_snippet: These wireless strategies could help manage post-surgical infection, for example, or pave the way for eventual "wi-fi" drug delivery.'
article_snippet: The team has also carried out experiments using remote control to deliver antibiotics to treat E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
article_snippet: Stella Vig, consultant vascular and general surgeon at Croydon University Hospital, said: 'This is an exciting new concept and an innovative tool against the war of surgical site infection.
article_snippet: This new purse could allow a reduction of bacterial load with an implantable device .
article_snippet: The concept of reducing bacterium within the tissues and thereby reducing risk of infections is not new, and was previously achieved by deploying antibiotic beads within the tissues.
article_snippet: an implantable device would allow a reduction of bacterial load with an implantable device, which then disappears without the need for surgery to remove an implantable device. '
highlights_snippet: New tiny silk 'purse' that kills infections after surgery is being trialled .
  
highlights_snippet: Has been used successfully in mice infected with Staphylococcus aureus .