Evaluation of a polyurethane foam dressing impregnated with 3% povidone-iodine (Betafoam) in a rat wound model.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Betafoam in terms of wound healing and safety.

METHODS

Fifty-four male adult Sprague-Dawley rats (weight, 200-250 g) were used in the study. Full-thickness skin defects were created on the back of each rats. The rats were assigned to 6 groups according to the type of wound dressing used (n = 9 for each group): Betafoam, Allevyn-Ag, Mepilex-Ag, Medifoam silver, Polymem-Ag, and gauze. The wound size, histological findings, and amount of DNA on the changed dressings for each group were analyzed and compared.

RESULTS

All groups showed an effective decrease in wound size. However, the differences between Betafoam and the other dressings were statistically significant on day 14 (P < 0.05). The number of newly generated blood vessels in the Betafoam group was significantly higher than in the gauze, Allevyn-Ag, and Medifoam silver groups (P < 0.001). In the Betafoam group, the proportion of collagen deposition was highest and showed a significantly superior arrangement of collagen fibers compared with the gauze, Allevyn-Ag, Mepilex-Ag, and Medifoam silver groups. The total content of the remaining DNA counts of the exchanged dressings were significantly lower in the Betafoam group than the others.

CONCLUSION

Betafoam is effective in wound healing and provides the best performance amongst the various types of dressing materials in terms of re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and tissue invasion.