New electrical stitches use muscle movement to speed up healing

As the body moves, the thread generates electricity via friction

A surgeon holds a suture in their hands, while another cuts the suture with scissors.

In the future, doctors might stitch up wounds with a thread that generates electricity using the body’s own movement. A small amount of electricity can help cells speed up the healing process.

JazzIRT/E+/Getty Images Plus

Stitches are getting a shocking upgrade.

In an experiment in rats, a new strong, flexible thread hastened wound healing by transforming muscle movement into electricity, researchers report October 8 in Nature Communications.