Improved treatment options for victims of burns

New procedure for better wound healing after burns
For larger burns skin grafts are often necessary because the affected skin can not be rescued. However, skin grafts are sometimes associated with complications that may require reoperation and may cause increased scarring. Scientists of the Medical University of Vienna have now found out that with the help of messenger substances from white blood cells wound healing can be improved after a skin transplantation.

Large burns are usually treated by transplanting skin layers from other parts of the body. The method has proven itself many times, but wound healing can occasionally become problematic. The research group headed by plastic surgeon Stefan Hacker from the University Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna has now shown that "soluble factors in white blood cells improve wound healing after a skin graft," according to the University. The researchers have published the results of their research in the scientific journal "Scientific Reports".

Wound healing in large burns is often accompanied by complications and the formation of scars. A newly developed method could bring significant benefits here. (Image: aleksicze / fotolia.com)

Complications in the healing process
The affected skin can often not be rescued during burns and must be removed. This leaves behind open wound surfaces that are treated with skin transplants from the thighs or back to the injured area in large burns. "The younger the patients, the better the wound healing," according to the MedUni Vienna. However, in older people and people with certain illnesses (such as diabetes), the healing process takes much longer, sometimes leading to complications that require reoperation or disfiguring scars.

Doubling of neovascularization
The research group led by Stefan Hacker has now successfully tested a method in animal models, with which the wound healing after a skin graft can be significantly improved. They were able to prove that soluble factors from white blood cells can significantly contribute to improved wound healing, according to the University. In the course of the investigations, the researchers had first put white blood cells into stress by irradiation with gamma rays, so that they emit certain proteins, which stimulate the vascular and tissue regeneration. The spilled, soluble proteins were processed into a drug and applied to the wounds. The result was a doubling of neovascularization and a better and faster development of the skin than in the comparison groups, reports MedUni Vienna.

Method can also be used for other wounds
According to the study leader, the clinical application of the new method to humans should not be limited to burn wounds but also to other wounds such as badly healing skin ulcers in diabetic patients or after microsurgical tissue transplantation. The current study project was carried out in cooperation with Rainer Mittermayr from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology and Michael Mildner from the Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna. "The study is a good example of translational research, which could soon benefit the patients," according to the MedUni Vienna. (Fp)