In 18 piglets, weighing 10-15 kg, third-degree
burns or full-thickness skin excisions of 4 X 4 cm were inflicted. The effect of five dressing materials on adhesiveness to the
wounds, appearance, conformability,
wound contraction, bacterial count, and morphology of the
wound was studied at the end of the seventh and fourteenth days without dressing changes. In 11 piglets with a
burn wound, the most adherent dressing was
collagen sponge(CS), followed by
polyurethane sponge (PU), pigskin xenograph (PS), and
xeroform. CS more effectively debrided the
wound from coagulated necrotic tissue than the other dressings.
Wound contraction was maximal with CS dressing (52%), followed by PU (44%),
xeroform (32%), and PS (27%). In another seven piglets with full-thickness excised
wounds, a
velour dressing made of
polytetrafluoroethylene (
PTFE) or PU adhered significantly more than CS or PS.
Wound contraction was greater with CS (37%) or
PTFE (35%) than with PS (23%) or PU (18%). The bacterial counts were similar in
wounds dressed with CS, PU, or
PTFE. PS dressing showed significantly higher bacterial counts. The results of this study support those of a previous report on the effect of similar dressing materials on rabbit second-degree
burns (8).