Covering wounds with cultured keratinocytes
Article Abstract:
Skin acts an important barrier that restricts the transfer of water and electrolytes, prevents infection, and possesses the ability to heal. Once disturbed by disease or injury, resulting wounds must be rapidly closed. Recently various laboratories have trying to develop artificial skin, sheets of living tissue covered by skin cells (keratinocytes). In tissue culture keratinocytes grow rapidly and can be layered into thin sheets that can be removed from their tissue culture environment and used to resurface wounds. In some cases cultured keratinocytes have been useful to resurface wounds, and over time become functional replacements for normal skin. One problem with this method is the 2 to 3 weeks required for the cells to proliferate in tissue culture, during which period the patient may develop infection and other complications of the original trauma. Experience has shown that these sheets of cells engraft better when the underlying tissue, including the subcutaneous fat, is first excised, a process which also creates a depression in the original surface layer. Handling layers of such tissue-grown cells is difficult and the material is a very fragile process. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association describes a method which grows the keratinocytes on a supporting "skin culture sandwich". This system has distinct advantages, such as its ability to engraft in 9 days, its more robust nature, and the added thickness of its artificial supporting "dermis". Although its long-term use and functional parameters are not known as yet, the technique is promising.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1989
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Burn care: results of technical and organizational progress
Article Abstract:
Technical progress in the treatment of burns includes fluid resuscitation, treatment of inhalation injury, support of hypermetabolism, surgical treatment of the wound, pain control, reconstruction and rehabilitation. Organization progress includes the development of burn centers, burn center aftercare programs, and Burn Specialty Teams from the National Disaster Medical System. Nevertheless, a permanent skin substitute is still needed as is more effective control of scarring.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 2003
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