Fish skin is now used to treat burns, wounds, and other skin damage. According to a report, there's already an FDA-approved cod-skin treatment to speed up healing and reduce pain from burns.
Fish Skin to Treat Wounds and Burns
Icelandic company Kerecis recently announced its product MariGen Shield, which combines a silicone contact layer and the business's tried-and-true fish-skin graft for treating chronic and intricate wounds. The manufacturer of medicinal fish skin also released the findings of a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of the Kerecis fish skin grafts in treating diabetic foot ulcers compared to the standard of care.
Both announcements were shared at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC). Kerecis is exhibiting at booth 225 and is a leader in using fatty acids and fish skin from sustainably fished fish in cellular therapy, tissue regeneration, and protection.
A silicone contact layer and the medical-fish-skin graft from Kerecis are combined in MariGen Shield to offer a cutting-edge method of treating persistent wounds. The product offers an ideal environment for wound management and allows for enough wound moisture to speed healing. It is fenestrated to allow appropriate wound drainage.
After a cover dressing has been placed on top, the integrated, overlapping silicone contact layer holds the round graft in place and aids in protecting the granulating wound and the fish-skin graft. Application and removal are sped up by this ease of handling. For simple insertion into foot wounds, MariGen Shield is offered in 20mm and 30mm spherical grafts.
The company had also manufactured fish-skin grafts called Kerecis SurgiBind, a fish skin medical device for surgical implantation in plastic and reconstructive surgery and soft tissue reinforcement.
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How Does the Fish Skin Work in SurgiBind?
Gudmundur Fertram Sigurjonsson, founder, president, and CEO of Keraci, shared with Newsweek how they used SurgiBind. The doctor receives the fish skin in sterile packaging.
Prior to application, the doctor will inspect the incision. They will use a knife to remove dead tissue, leaving the wound red and bleeding. The fish skin is then placed into the wound and covered with a wound dressing.
They only make the fish skin; any vendor's wound dressings may be used on top. Then, the healthy cells from the area around the wound will slither into the fish's skin, turning it into human skin over time. The patient doesn't need to remove the fish skin.
According to a report published in the journal Military Medicine, using fish skin also lessens the risk of auto-immune reaction or disease transmission, which can frequently come from administering cadaver and pig skin transplants. This is because the fish cells and all of the fish's DNA have been removed from the fish skin structure, preventing the human body from recognizing the skin graft as foreign and allowing it to colonize the skin structure.
Skin from tilapia and cod are reportedly good choices for fish-skin grafts.
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