Effect of active wound dressing on postoperative pain and wound healing in patients undergoing anorectal surgery

AIM

To study the effect of active wound dressing on postoperative pain and wound healing in patients undergoing anorectal surgery (AS).

METHODS

The clinical data of 110 AS patients from March 2023 to January 2024 were retrospectively screened. The study group (SG) included 55 patients who received active wound dressing post-operation, while the control group (CG) consisted of 55 patients who received conventional dressing, matched for baseline indices. Postoperative pain degree, wound healing rate, healing time, swelling disappearance time, dressing change times, granulation tissue formation time, growth factor levels, and inflammatory factor levels were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

There were notable variations in the time effect, inter-group effect and time × inter-group effect in the postoperative pain score and wound healing rate between the two groups (P < 0.05). The pain scores of the SG on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after operation were lower (P < 0.05). The wound healing rate of the SG was higher on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after operation (P < 0.05). The wound healing time, wound swelling disappearance time, dressing change times and granulation tissue formation time in the SG were shorter (P < 0.05). The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor in the SG were higher (P < 0.05). The levels of IL -8 and TNF-α in the SG were lower (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Active wound dressing has been shown to alleviate postoperative pain in patients undergoing AS, promote wound healing, and effectively regulate levels of growth factors and inflammatory factors.

Development of HEMA-Succinic Acid-PEG Bio-Based Monomers for High-Performance Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine

In recent years, hydrogels have found a special place in regenerative medicine for tissue repair, rehabilitation, and drug delivery. To be used in regenerative medicine, hydrogels must have desirable physical, chemical, and biological properties. In this study, a new biomonomer based on hydroxyethyl methacrylate-succinic acid-polyethylene glycol 200 (HEMA-Suc-PEG) was synthesized and characterized. Then, using the synthesized monomers and different ratios of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) as a crosslinker, biocompatible hydrogels were synthesized through thermal and UV curing methods. The mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological properties of the hydrogels and the behavior of endothelial cells, an essential component of the cardiovascular system, were evaluated. The results showed that the hydrogel synthesized with 0.2 g of PEGDA (UV curing) has desirable mechanical and physical properties. Biological tests showed that these hydrogels are not only nontoxic to cells but also enhance cell adhesion. Therefore, the hydrogel containing the synthesized monomer HEMA-Suc-PEG and 0.2 g of PEGDA has the potential to be used in the cardiovascular system.

HydroTac-a hydro-responsive wound dressing: a review of the in vitro evidence

AIM

The aim of this review is to identify and summarise the key in vitro evidence available to support the use of HydroTac (HRWD-2) to address specific aspects associated with the treatment of both acute and hard-to-heal wounds.

BACKGROUND

The provision of a moist wound healing environment to support optimal wound healing has been a basic tenet in wound care since the pioneering work on the benefits of occlusion to support wound healing. Modern wound dressings have adopted the benefits of moist healing through their innovative development. HRWD-2 has been shown in clinical studies to enable and support good healing outcomes and the in vitro evidence in support of this dressing is presented in this article.

METHOD

An online literature search (supplemented with a manual search of resources not available online) was conducted to identify articles and studies describing in vitro evidence in support of HRWD-2 in aspects important for promoting a healing response in the clinical environment.

RESULTS

In vitro studies showed that HRWD-2 contributes to balancing moisture levels and enhances the availability of growth factors known to be important for re-epithelialisation. Pre-clinical studies indicate that HRWD-2 enhances wound re-epithelialisation. Together these results suggest that HRWD-2 promotes a moist healing environment leading to the dressing supporting re-epithelialisation. In vitro data indicating an intrinsic lower in vitro adherence of HRWD-2 likely translate clinically to the benefits of an atraumatic wound dressing, including reduced pain (specifically at dressing change).

CONCLUSION

The in vitro evidence presented in this review supports the successful clinical results reported for HRWD-2 in terms of fluid management, wound healing and pain reduction at dressing change.