Development of a porcine deep partial thickness burn model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Dermal Wound Healing Research
• Animal Models in Burn Research

Background:

• Swine are crucial animal models for studying dermal wound healing after burns.
• Existing methods for burn induction in animal models often lack consistency and control.
• Minimizing variability in burn injury is essential for reliable research outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel, consistent method for creating deep partial thickness burns in swine.
• To compare the efficacy of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution versus boiling water for burn induction.
• To establish a reproducible burn model for dermal wound healing studies.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a custom burn device to control pressure and ensure consistent burn depth.
• Utilizing cylindrical brass blocks heated with either boiling water or a boiling 80% polyethylene glycol (PEG):20% water solution.
• Applying burns to swine skin with controlled contact times (12-20 s) and evaluating tissues at 24 hours and 7 days post-injury.

Main Results:

• Digital image analysis revealed inconsistent healing in burns created with boiling water compared to the PEG:H(2)O solution.
• Histological assessment indicated that boiling water produced more superficial and variable burns.
• Burns created with the PEG:H(2)O solution at 20 s contact time resulted in 48.5±5.7% tissue damage, versus 11.9±1.3% with boiling water at 24 hours.

Conclusions:

• The novel method using a custom device and PEG:H(2)O solution significantly improves consistency in creating deep partial thickness burns in swine.
• This standardized burn model offers enhanced reliability for future dermal wound healing research.
• The PEG:H(2)O solution is superior to boiling water for creating reproducible and deep partial thickness burn injuries in swine models.