Laboratory Research
Wound healing is critically dependent on appropriate moisture management1. Adequate Standards and methods to assess moisture management in skin substitutes are needed to support clinical decisions in wound treatment. A modified moisture transference test was developed to evaluate moisture management properties of fenestrated dehydrated complete human placental membrane (dCHPM) allografts. This is the first documented evaluation of moisture management properties of placental-derived materials.
Methods:
A Moisture Transference test was adapted from Lustig et al, which modeled a moderately exudating wound, to evaluate fenestrated dCHPM compared to a standard of care (SOC) dressing, gauze 2. The in vitro system consisted of a model wound bed, a primary covering (dCHPM or gauze), and a secondary dressing. Simulated exudate was continuously pumped through the system and the weight of exudate in the model wound bed, primary covering, and secondary dressing was measured every 30min for 2h.
Results:
This adapted method successfully characterized moisture transference properties and differentiated between fenestrated dCHPM and gauze-based products. The model demonstrated that when fenestrated dCHPM was used, significantly more simulated exudate was retained in the wound bed and the primary covering, resulting in a moist wound system when compared to SOC (gauze). Using a gauze-based primary covering resulted in significantly more exudate being transferred into the secondary dressing, leaving minimal moisture in the wound.
Discussion: This is the first known description of moisture transference capabilities of placental-derived products. The adapted method demonstrated that fenestrated dCHPM had an improved balance of moisture across a modeled wound system when compared to SOC. Further, this method provides valuable translational evidence by analyzing the moisture management properties of skin substitutes using a clinically relevant model that can begin to inform clinicians in selecting appropriate wound coverings.