Use of dry human and bovine amnion as a biological dressing.

A new method of drying and sterilizing the amnion extends the life of the product to more than nine months and enables it to be stored at room temperature. The bovine amnion is unique and the first of its kind, there being no comparable series in the literature, to our knowledge. Bovine amnion has a large surface area and can provide bulk supplies. The membrane as prepared has been tested in 12 rabbits experimentally and in 70 patients of different ages with a variety of surgical lesions, mainly burns. More than 150 applications of the dried amnion have been made as the sole dressing for these patients. The results indicate that amnion, both human and bovine, is quite safe and effective as a biological dressing. The dried material retains all the physical and biological characteristics of the fresh membrane.