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A Novel Wound Therapy

Stephen C. Davis, BS; Alejandro L. Cazzaniga, BS; Carlos Ricotti, MD; Paul Zalesky, PhD; Li-Chien Hsu, PhD; Jeffrey Creech, PhD; William H. Eaglstein, MD; Patricia M. Mertz, BA

Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(10):1252-1256.

Objective  To investigate the use of a topical oxygen emulsion (TOE), consisting of a supersaturated oxygen suspension using perfluorocarbon components, on second-degree burns and partial-thickness wounds.

Design  Oxygen is a required substance for various aspects of wound repair, and increased oxygen tension in a wound has been shown to stimulate phagocytosis and to reduce the incidence of wound infection. Second-degree burns and partial-thickness wounds were created on the backs of specific pathogen-free pigs. Wounds were then randomly assigned to 1 of the following treatment groups: TOE, TOE vehicle, or air-exposed control.

Main Outcome Measure  Wounds were assessed for complete epithelialization using a salt-split technique.

Results  The TOE was able to significantly (P  = .001) enhance the rate of epithelialization compared with both vehicle and untreated control. These data suggest that topical oxygen may be beneficial for acute and burn wounds.

Conclusions  The results obtained from this double-blind, control, in vivo study demonstrate that TOE can significantly enhance the rate of epithelialization of partial-thickness excisional wounds and second-degree burns. These findings could have considerable clinical implications for patients with surgical and burn wounds by providing functional skin at an earlier date to act as a barrier against environmental factors, such as bacteria invasion. Other types of wounds may also benefit from this therapy (eg, chronic wounds and surgical incisions). Additional studies, including clinical studies, are warranted.

Author Affiliations: Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida (Messrs Davis and Cazzaniga, Drs Ricotti and Eaglstein, and Ms Mertz); and TherOx Inc, Irvine, California (Drs Zalesky, Hsu, and Creech).