July, 2004

Dear Readers:

The paper by Stone, et al., (Bolster versus negative pressure wound therapy for securing split-thickness skin grafts in trauma patients) reports the effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for the treatment of skin grafts. As NPWT has been a useful approach for the local treatment of many types of wounds, it could be an effective way to secure skin grafts. The authors conducted a retrospective review of 40 patients whose grafts were treated either with a cotton bolster (control) or NPWT. They found that the two treatment approaches appeared to be

Introduction

Traditionally, microbiologists have studied bacterial structure, function, and susceptibility using cells that have been cultured in liquid medium. In this state, bacteria exist as free-floating planktonic cells. However, it is increasingly being recognized that in their natural habitat, most bacteria grow attached to a surface.[1] The growth of large aggregates of cells on a surface encased within a three-dimensional matrix of extracellular polymers (otherwise known as extracellular polymeric substance or EPS) produced by the sessile bacteria is known as a biofilm.[2] In man,

Healthpoint, Cook Biotech to Aid Children in Afghanistan

HEALTHPOINT Ltd. and Cook Biotech, Inc. are sending critically needed bioengineered tissue for burn and wound care to Afghanistan to help children injured during the war and its aftermath.

Enough of the product, OASIS® Wound Matrix, has been shipped to Children’s Hospital in Kabul to treat hundreds of young patients.

The OASIS Wound Matrix acts as a framework to support the remodeling of host tissue. This Purdue University-licensed ECM technology is a tissue-engineered medical device derived from a natural organically intact