Effects of a Novel Non-Biologic Desiccant to Remove Bacteria Using a Deep Dermal Wound Porcine Model

Debridement plays a critical role in wound bed preparation and management. In addition to removing necrotic tissue, debridement can eliminate bacteria that are frequently harbored within the tissue.1 Infected wounds particularly with drug-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus have a high-risk of impending the healing process. The purpose of this pilot study was to a examine the ability of a novel debridement method which uses a novel molecular cleaning technology, to remove both necrotic tissue and bacteria from infected wounds using a porcine wound model. 2,3 Thirty deep dermal wounds (22mmx22mmx3mm) were created and inoculated with Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA USA300). Wounds were covered for 72 hours to allow biofilm formation. Baseline wounds (3) were assessed prior treatment application and remaining wounds were assigned to one of three treatment groups: 1) Novel Debridement Formulation [NDF*], 2)Gauze with sterile saline, or 3) Untreated control. All wounds were treated for 30 seconds and then rinsed with 10ml of sterile saline. After treatment application a sterile gauze was used to remove the slough and wounds were covered with a polyurethane film. Amount of slough was assessed using digital planimetry. Biopsies were taken on days 4,8 and 11 post-treatment for microbiology and histological assessment. After initial treatment, over 80% more slough was removed with NDF as compared to controls.. NDF also achieved bacterial reductions of more than 99.77% and 99.86 when compared to baseline bacterial counts and untreated group in all assessment days, respectively. NDF treated wounds resulted in reductions of 89.40%, 97.52% and 98.97% when compared to Gauze with sterile saline group in assessment Days 4, 8 and 11, respectively. NDF treated wounds showed a more than 1 Log CFU/g bacterial reduction compared day 11 to day 4. An initial increase in epithelialization was noted with NDF on day 4 compared to other treatment groups. Overall, the NDF appeared to be the most effective treatment group to reduce MRSA counts. Our results suggest that this novel treatment may have added clinical beneficial effects in wound bed preparation. Additional animals are needed to substantiate these findings.*Revity – Epien Medical, St. Paul, MN