Abstract Scope |
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), a clinical practice for treating wounds, fills the wound with foam and creates negative pressure removing exudate, increasing blood flow, and accelerating healing. Challenges include local antibiotic administration, frequent wound dressing changes, and standard sized foam. Shape memory polymer (SMP) foams have attracted attention due to their biocompatibility, shape memory effect, and volume filling capabilities. The conforming capabilities of SMP foams allows exact morphological compliance with the wound, increasing exudate uptake. We introduce a polyurethane SMP foam composite as the wound filler for NPWT with a zinc oxide coated alginate core to increase foam swelling and introduce antimicrobial properties. SMP foam composites were fabricated and characterized for fluid uptake, swelling, and shape recovery. Bactericidal characterization was performed to analyze the zinc oxide alginate core against Staphilococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. SMP foam composites prove to be an effective NPWT wound filler compared to traditional foam. |