Surgical wound (e.g., post minor amputation, reconstruction surgery, or surgical incision) complications such as infection, dehiscence, necrotic tissue, surgical revision, and poor cosmesis are unfortunately highly prevalent in patients undergoing surgical interventions. In most cases surgical wounds are managed with a simple island dressing, orthopaedic wool padding and a light retention bandage. It could be argued that such low cost, traditional dressings are adequate for most surgical wounds. However, some patients with poor tissue integrity often require modern wound care products that offer additional benefits, in particular among those with vascular and poor tissue oxygenation problem. Poor tissue oxygenation and poor skin perfusion could lead to surgical wound complications such as wound infection, tissue necrosis, phantom pain, trauma and untimely surgical revision as well as major amputation.
In particular, the presence of non-viable, necrotic tissue (estimated to occur in 15-25% of cases) is significant as it can be responsible for delaying healing, prolonging the inflammatory response, mechanically obstructing contraction and impeding re-epithelialisation. It also provides a focus for wound infection and surgical revision.
The problem associated with necrotic tissue is not limited to limb amputation and could be seen in other surgical closures leading to excessive scar formation. Many of these scars can be problematic, being aesthetically unpleasant and causing discomfort. Blood supply is a significant factor in wound healing, and an area of the skin with rich supply of vasculature is known to heal to finer scars. Several studies have demonstrated that mild hypoxia (lack of transcutaneous oxygen) is present in early scars, moderate hypoxia in proliferative scars, and severe hypoxia in regressive scars. Oxygen levels then return to normal in mature scars, which is consistent along with the dynamic change in microvessel density. Therefore level of transcutaneous oxygen could be a determinant factor in formation of excessive scar formation.
Dressing materials are known to influence postoperative surgical wound healing and scar formation. A particular dressing that could promote wound hydration is key to ensure quick epithelialization and decrease excessive scar formation. The current standard of care in wound healing is to promote a moist wound environment by regular changing dressing and hydrate wound when needed. Some new advanced dressing and products have been also suggested with promising results in reducing excessive scar formation such as the use of silicone sheeting, hydrogel wound dressing, etc.
In this study, the investigators hypothesize that using novel oxygen diffusion dressing allows delivery tissue oxygenation via TransCu O2® Oxygen Delivery System will reduce the likelihood of necrotic tissue as well as severe incisional scar post-surgical closure by improving transcutaneous oxygen levels during wound healing process. TransCu O2 Oxygen Delivery System is a novel wound healing therapy that promises to enhance tissue hydration, which in turn may lead to quick epithelialization essential to reduce the likelihood of formation of necrotic tissue and excessive scars.
