Use of Fetal Skin and Amniotic Fluid Dressing for Non-healing Burn Patients in Pediatric Age Group: A Study of 5 Cases

Abstract

Autologous partial- or complete-thickness skin grafting is the gold standard for the treatment of deep second- and third-degree burns. Available bioengineered skin products also necessitate this two-step surgical procedure. Investigators also developed fetal skin constructs, on native horse collagen, to improve healing of such degree burns. Judith Hohlfeld et al. claimed that fetal skin cells might have great potential to treat burns and eventually acute and chronic wounds of other types. The same investigators suggested that engineering of fetal tissue has a high potential for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds of the skin in humans as these cells have high expansion capacity under simple culture conditions and one organ donation can produce master cell banks which can fabricate over 900 million biological bandages (9 × 12 cm). In a phase 1 clinical safety study, cases are presented for the treatment of therapy-resistant leg ulcers. All eight patients, representing 13 ulcers, tolerated multiple treatments with fetal biological bandages showing no negative secondary effects and repair processes similar to that seen in 3rd-degree burns.