The primary goal of this proposal is to develop a new device that uses high velocity ice particles to safely and efficiently debride bums with decreased blood loss and improved patient analgesia. . In the U.S. approximately 20,000 patients undergo some form of bum debridement. The standard treatment for deep dermal bums is tangential excision of the burn eschar; the tissue is mechanically shaved or scraped until bleeding is observed. With this approach, difficulties in controlling tissue thickness leads to excessive dermal damage, bleeding and pain. Microdermabrasion (MDA) devices, which use fast moving, small, aluminum oxide particles, have proven effective in abrading tissue in a controlled manner. However, MDA devices are unsuitable for use on bums or clean wounds because the particles can lead to granuloma formation or foreign body reaction. We propose to develop a novel MDA device that uses biocompatible ice particles to safely abrade tissue. A unique advantage of this approach is that the ice particles can be produced from a mixture of water, and drugs. This allows physicians to directly deliver any combination of water-soluble anesthetics, vasoconstrictive agents and/or antibiotic solutions. Using cold air and ice particles offers the added advantage of topical analgesia.
The need for an improved debridement and microdermabrasion device is considerable. The proposed device is expected to provide medical personnel a small/compact, light-weight, hand-held instrument that is extremely easy to use, highly effective, optimally safe, and a low-cost alternative to alternative techniques. The device could also be used in emergency, disaster management and battle-field-like conditions because of its unique design and ease-of-portability and rapid setup.
