MODERN
MEDICINE
Regeneration of finger tip
ERNST EISELEN, MBChB
O p t i m i s a t i o n of w o u n d
patient U a 23-year-old farm
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2012)
•
As the injury was older than three hours and the
tip had not been cooled down, it was decided not to
try and graft it back on. Instead the amputated end
of the digit was treated with Cerdak's ceramic wound
treatment devices. These were initially changed daily
for the first week and then every second day for five
weeks. Unfortunately the patient did not return for
follow-up photographs until the finger had completely
healed at the end of three months. It was healed by
six weeks, but continued to pigment normally over
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ICERDAK
CERAMIC WOUND
TREATMENT DEVICE
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wtUch promotes wound healing in a very logical and
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enhances the normal healing process in all kinds of
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Primary w o u n d dressing for
• Office surgical procedures
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Cerdak helpline: 035-3401139
E-mail: [email protected]
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MODERN MEDICINE OF SOUTH AFRICA / MAY 2002
j u r e d MB luft
w o u m t h e a l i n g dev-ieas. T h e
rniddU- fin^-r w h e n U w * s
the next six weeks. Only a small area of hyperkeratotic scarring on the very tip remains visible.
Wound healing is a dynamic interactive process
involving soluble mediators, blood cells, extra-cellular matrix and parenchymal cells. Wound healing has three phases — inflammation, tissue formation, and tissue remodeling — that overlap in
time. In reality, however, the various stages are
not sharply delineated but overlap considerably,
and factors affecting one phase have a stimulatory
or inhibitory effect on the overall process. It is
clear t h a t given optimal circumstances in this
case, the end of the middle finger of this patient
retained the ability to regenerate itself with all
structures intact.
Optimisation of wound healing involves the creation of the best balance between the growth factors and the break-down proteinase enzymes in
the healing wound. The use of an inert microporous ceramic wound healing device satisfies
these criteria as is plainly illustrated in the clinical result depicted here. The ceramic has a very
large capillary suction force of 900kPa and a sorbent surface of six square metres per gram of powder. This results in a true siphon action with a
unidirectional fluid phase into the ceramic and a
r e s u l t a n t micro-moist w o u n d e n v i r o n m e n t .
Clearly, optimisation of wound healing was created by simple, specific manipulation of the wound
exudate.
The safety and ease of use of this particular
device allowed the patient himself to apply it at
home. He continued to work. Overall cost of treatment was very low.
References:
Singer A, Clark R. Cutaneous wound healing.
New England Journal of Medicine. Sept 2 1999;
738.
Kerstein M D (Ed). The physiology of wound
healing: monograph. Allegheny University of The
Health Sciences. March 1998.
Dr Eiselen is a general practitioner in Mtunzini,
Kwa-Zulu Natal, SA.
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The finger was healed by six weeks,
but continued to pigment
normally
over the next six weeks.
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