title: In vitro Evaluation of the Cleansing Effect of a Monofilament Fiber Debridement Pad Compared to Gauze Swabs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Removal of nonvital tissue is an accepted method to eradicate biofilms and to stimulate wound healing. Debridement using a monofilament polyester fiber pad has clinically been shown to be effective as well as pain and trauma free.
  
  
  METHODS
  For in vitro determination of the cleansing capacity of this product compared to gauze swabs, a wound debridement model was used with glass plates coated with a bovine serum albumin solution, stained with hematoxylin. Both products were moistened and fixed to a weight connected to a regulated motor and were then pulled over the holding device with the coated glass plate under standardized conditions (power = 0.067 N/cm2, velocity = 1.6 cm/s).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At a low coating concentration (0.5%) both products were equally effective, but at a high concentration (1.5%) cleansing did not occur after 5 wipes. When wiping the plates 15 times, the debridement pad cleansed significantly (p < 0.001) better than gauze. When consecutively wiping 4 coated plates with a single debridement pad or swab, the pad exhibited and maintained a significantly higher cleansing capacity while gauze quickly lost its effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our in vitro test results indicated a higher cleansing capacity of the debridement pad compared to gauze swabs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wiegand
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reddersen
authors.forename: Uta-Christina
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Hipler
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abel
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruth
authors.forename: Anneke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andriessen
mesh_terms: D032561:Cotton Fiber; D003646:Debridement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004209:Disposable Equipment; D011091:Polyesters; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine