357 Wound Chambers for Porcine Wound Healing Research

Abstract

Standardized and reproducible animal models are crucial in medical research. Pigs are commonly used in burn wound healing studies because of the large surface area and similarities to human skin. However, the most significant challenge with porcine wound models remains the inability to isolate individual wounds and the high risk of cross-contamination. The aim of this study was to develop wound chambers for burn wound healing research. A porcine partial-thickness burn wound (PTBW) model was first developed by creating 16 burn wounds on the back of a female Yorkshire pig using a brand heated to 200°C and applied with 1kg of force. Different branding durations were attempted (40s, 10s, 5s, or 2s, n=4 per group) to determine the appropriate technique to obtain PTBWs. Biopsies were taken 30 minutes after burning for histology. Wounds were debrided two days later followed by dressing changes three times a week for 14 days to monitor healing was using photographs and tracings. Wound chambers were engineered as a two-piece structure (base and cover) to surround, isolate and cover individual porcine wounds. The wound chamber base was created using a stoma click barrier secured using tissue adhesive, moldable ring seal and staples. The wound chamber cover was created by placing a transparent film dressing over the base’s ring and securing it with a stoma pouch. Based on the first experiment, 15 PTBWs were created on the back of a female Yorkshire pig to test the wound chambers and assess total wound closure, wound contraction, leakage, and cost. In the first pig (PTBW model), the optimal branding time to develop PTBWs was determined clinically and histologically to be 10s showing moderate-to-deep partial-thickness. In the second pig (wound chamber model), the wound chambers were easy to apply and maintain, and were impervious to the pig’s activity. All wounds were closed by week 5 and no wound chamber leakage was observed. The animal tolerated them well. The average cost per wound chamber was $117.20. This study demonstrates that these wound chambers provide a means for controlled monitoring, sampling and treatment of the wound in vivo, allowing a reduction in cross-contamination and an increase in standardization. These wound chambers can be a standardized reproducible model for porcine wound healing research.