Patent ID: 8871464

Claim:
A method of indicating bacterial growth at a wound site, said method comprising the steps of: I) providing a wound dressing bacterial growth detection apparatus which comprises (a) an indwelling catheter, and (b) a wound dressing covering the outer portion of the catheter, the wound dressing comprising: (i) a barrier membrane which comprises a transparent hydrophobic polymeric material, (ii) a permeable membrane which comprises a transparent hydrophilic polymeric membrane for placement proximate a wound, and (iii) an indicator which is capable of signaling bacterial growth at the wound site; II) placing the catheter at the wound site and placing the permeable membrane of the wound dressing at the wound site on top of the catheter; and III) detecting the presence of bacterial growth by detecting a change in the indicator, wherein the change in the indicator is caused by byproducts of bacterial growth.