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Collagen was extracted by pepsin digestion from porcine skin and collagen membrane was prepared by salt precipitation. Collagen membrane as a wound dressing was evaluated in a deep partial-thickness burn wounds in a rat model. Burn wound, 4 x 4 cm, were inflicted by exposing skin to 75 degrees C for 15 seconds followed by de-epithelization. Wound healing was assessed by plenimetry of epithelization on day 10 postwounding. Open wounds exhibited a re-epithelialization of 24% of wound area. Collagen membrane dressing significantly improved the healing rate to approximately 70% of wound area.

Collagen was extracted by pepsin digestion from porcine skin, and collagen membrane was prepared by salt precipitation. The porcine collagen membrane was evaluated as a burn wound dressing in deep partial skin thickness burn wounds in rats. Burn wounds, 4 x 4 cm, were inflicted by exposure of skin to 75 degrees C for 15 s followed by de-epithelialization. Wound healing was assessed by planimetry of epithelialization on day 10 after injury. Open wounds exhibited 24 per cent of wound area re-epithelialized. Collagen membrane dressing significantly improved the healing to 69 per cent of wound area (P < 0.0001). In a completely separate experiment, the porcine collagen membrane was applied as a wound dressing to the donor sites of burn patients, and its effect on wound healing was compared with that of a petroleum jelly gauze dressing. The donor sites covered with petroleum jelly gauze had re-epithelialized by an average of 14.5 days (ranging from 13 to 16 days) after wounding. The wounds dressed with collagen membrane demonstrated a significant increase in the healing rate. Complete re-epithelialization was observed by 10.3 days (ranging from 10 to 12 days) after wounding (P < 0.0001).