It's reassuring to see the standard of care and cost savings...

It's reassuring to see the standard of care and cost savings improving when combining RECELL and SUPRATHEL:

Comparative results of autologous skin cell suspension combined with a contact layer dressing versus autologous skin cell suspension and a poly-lactic acid dressing in larger total body surface burns

Brandon M. Larson, Djoni Elkady, Steffi Sharma, Beverly Beaucock, Richard B. Lou, Anjay Khandelwal

Highlights
• Current standard post-burn surgery dressings are nonadherent, contact layer.
• Poly-lactic acid dressings can be combined with an autologous skin cell suspension.
• Poly-lactic acid dressings can decrease infections and hospital costs.

Abstract

Introduction
Contact layer dressing (CLD) is standard after autologous skin cell suspension (ASCS); however, the authors wondered whether a poly-lactic acid dressing (PLAD) results in superior outcomes and cost savings.

Material and methods
Retrospective cohort study including greater than 10% total body surface area (TBSA) burns treated with ASCS and either PLAD or CLD. Primary outcomes were infection and length of stay (LOS).

Results
71 patients (76% male, 24% pediatric, mean age 37 years) were included. Twenty-eight patients (39%) received CLD and 43 (61%) received PLAD. Wound infections were decreased in PLAD (7 vs 32%, p = 0.009). When controlling for area grafted (cm2) and TBSA, logistic regression revealed odds of post-operative infection was 8.1 times higher in CLD (p = 0.015). PLAD required antibiotics for fewer days (mean 0.47 vs 4.39, p = 0.0074) and shorter LOS (mean 17 vs 29 days, p < 0.001). Mean adjusted charges per %TBSA was $18,459 in PLAD vs. $25,397 in CLD (p = 0.0621).


Conclusion
In the first analysis of its kind, this study showed polylactic acid dressing combined with autologous skin cell suspension led to a decrease in postoperative infections, length of hospital stay, and total patient charges.

Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Anjay Khandelwal is a consultant for AVITA Medical, Inc.


This evidence should assist with PolyMedic Innovations roll out of RECELL in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Hopefully, we'll see similar studies and articles with RECELL and PermeaDerm in the future.