How An Innovative Permeable Membrane Dressing Can Help Heal Wounds
PermeaDerm C (PermeaDerm). Taking advantage of a technology long used for burns, a permeable membrane dressing may facilitate improved healing for wounds.
PermeaDerm C is a safe, biocompatible primary dressing that Stephanie Wu, DPM, has used for about eight months. The membrane has variable porosity, an aloe/gelatin bio-coated 3D surface and is stable at room temperature, according to Dr. Wu, the Associate Dean of Research, a Professor of Surgery at the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine and a Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the School of Graduate Medical Sciences at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
The manufacturer PermeaDerm says PermeaDerm C is indicated for partial and full-thickness chronic wounds that have had debridement and have achieved homeostasis, including diabetic, pressure, venous and chronic vascular ulcers. Other indications include surgical wounds, traumatic wounds and draining wounds, donor sites, partial-thickness burns and meshed autograft coverage.
As the manufacturer notes, PermeaDerm C controls moisture vapor, is transparent and has strength and conformability. The company adds that the membrane is inexpensive and easy to apply and remove.
PermeaDerm C is an extension of the Biobrane (Smith and Nephew) technology that clinicians have used for five decades as an alternative to cadaver allografts to manage burn injuries, according to Dr. Wu. As she says, both PermeaDerm and Biobrane are functionally similar to an adherent membrane oxygenator and work well on wounds free of eschar. One should not use PermeaDerm C in infected, colonized wounds, notes Dr. Wu.
