The wound
healing process is a process is a complex series of events that begins at the
moment of injury and can continue for a months to several months or may be
years. This process has four phases: They are
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blood clotting phase,
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inflammatory phase,
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proliferative phase,
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maturational phase
Collagen the
most abundant protein found in the body is the main supportive protein for connective
tissue, cartilage, tendon, skin, and bone. There are at least thirteen different
types of collagen. Type 1,3,4,5 and 7 are specific for skin.
Collagen plays
an integral part during each phase of wound healing and is an excellent
hemostatic agent as it absorbs 40-60 times its weight in fluid. Collagen
exposed during wound formation activities the clotting phase, when the collagen
is native and bioactive, and is responsible for cell signaling that influences
the migration of inflammatory cells to the wound bed.
Collagen
dressings have been used in various forms for tissue repair and wound healing
as it constitutes more than 80% of the structural proteins of the body.
Compared to many other modern non-biological dressings, collagen dressings
remain a poorly understood and probably underused material. Biodegradable (bio
utilized) collagen dressings are derived from animal tissues. These collagendressings maintain a physiologically moist microenvironment that promotes
healing and the formation of granulation tissue.
The healing of
skin tissue requires the development of a vascularized granular tissue bed,
filling of large tissue defects by dermal regeneration, and the restoration of a
continuous epidermal keratinocyte layer. Several experimental results suggest
that collagen is an ideal material for tissue regeneration compared to other
non-biological wound healing materials.
In a wound where
the basement membrane has been destroyed, similar to a second or third degree
burn, the wound is re-epithelialized from the normal cells in the periphery and
from the skin appendages provided the basement is intact. The granulation phase
and tissue deposition require nutrients supplied by the capillaries, and
failure for this to occur results in a chronically unhealed wound. Fibroblasts
differentiate and produce ground substance and then collagen. Many different
cytokines are involved in the proliferative phase of wound repair. The steps
and the exact mechanism of control have not been elucidated. Some of the
cytokines include formation. Epithelialization angiogenesis, granulation tissue
formation, and collagen deposition are the principal steps in this anabolic
portion of wound healing.
Healicoll can be
placed on wounds caused by soft tissue necrosis secondary to radiation,
chemical burns or corrosives. The Healicoll is moistened with sterile water or
normal saline for six to ten minutes and placed in direct contact with the
necrotic tissue. Daily dressing changes are recommended with mechanical
debridement of the necrotic tissue to reduce the bioburden of the necrotic
tissue and assist with autolysis.
Oxygen only
enhances the wound healing activity of collagen when Healicoll applied to
wounds that are undergoing treatment with hyperbaric oxygen.
It does not
matter which surface of the Healicoll wound dressings is placed against the
wound surface. Healicoll must remain in contact with the wound by light pressure
to ensure the contact of the wound surface with the collagen to ensure proper
healing.
Only areas with
skin damage will interact with Healicoll. Any excess collagen can be rinsed
away with saline irrigation, so removal of the dressings does not interface
with healing granulation tissue nor does it cause a painful experience for the
patient. Healicoll is also semi-translucent so that observation of the healing
can be accomplished without disturbing the healing tissue.
HEALICOLL ADVANTAGES
The usefulness
of Healicoll over any other dressings in the market is well documented for the treatment
of pressure ulcers, donor sites, diabetic ulcers, burn treatments and other
types of wounds.
With Healicoll,
epithelialization occurs even the in the inner areas of the wound site. This
did not happen with other collagen preparations used on the same wounds.
Common Benefits
of Healicoll over other commercially available collagens in the market are:
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Improved biocompatibility
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Non immunogenicity
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Controlled bioresorbability
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Cell attractability
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Hemostatic ability
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Structural stability
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Target specificity
The some
disadvantages of using human skin allografts that don't apply to Healicoll
include:
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Fear of HIV and some other
human infections
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Cross linking or use of
preservatives that may reduce the bioactivity of the graft
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Biohazardous material disposal
considerations
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Immediate availableness is
quite tough
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Limited time period
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Possible bacterial
contamination
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Many eventually are rejected,
making them a temporary instead of permanent wound covering
