Use of a new hemicellulose dressing (Veloderm) for the treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites A within-patient controlled study.

A multi-centre, open, within-patient controlled study was performed on 23 adult burnt patients to investigate the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of Veloderm in comparison with Algisite M and Jaloskin in split-thickness skin graft donor site care. The areas dressed with Veloderm completely healed within 10-13 days in a significant higher proportion than the other two dressings (47.6% for Veloderm versus 26.3% for Algisite M and 10% for Jaloskin, P<0.03), showing during the whole study less incidence of exudates and of peri-lesional erythema. The aesthetic outcome of the treated lesions after healing was significantly better for Veloderm (P=0.0016). Veloderm) and Jaloskin required very few renewals of the medication during the first week of treatment, while Algisite M needed several multiple re-dressings. Veloderm was judged better than the other two treatments as far as the acceptability (P<0.001), ease of use (P<0.001) and efficacy (P<0.00001). Both pain during application or at removal of dressings and local infections were negligible with all treatments. No scars were formed in any skin donor site. In conclusion Veloderm is a safe and effective dressing for the re-epithelialization of the skin graft donor sites: it showed higher activity than the other two compared dressings.

Tissue absorption and distribution of ketoprofen after patch application in subjects undergoing knee arthroscopy or endoscopic carpal ligament release.

The diffusion into the target tissues of ketoprofen (CAS 22071-15-4), a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, from a new topical patch has been studied after repeated patch application in comparison with its plasma level. Ten patients (5 women and 5 men) with a mean age of 45.0 +/- 12.3 years (mean +/- SD), scheduled for arthroscopic meniscectomy (5 subjects) or endoscopic carpal tunnel decompression (5 subjects), were asked to apply one patch with 100 mg ketoprofen on the affected body site once a day during the 6 days before the scheduled surgery. The last patch was kept for 6 h, and removed just a few minutes before surgery, when venous blood was drawn. Biopsies of the synovial tissue of the medial compartment and of the anterior fat pad (Hoffa's tissue) or of the ulnar bursa were taken during knee arthroscopy or endoscopic carpal tunnel release, respectively. An average plasma value of 52.8 +/- 30.1 (SD) ng/ml of ketoprofen was obtained in the 10 patients. The tissue concentrations of ketoprofen in the 5 subjects undergoing knee arthroscopy were 27.9 +/- 26.1 ng/g (range 7.2-67.1 ng/g) in the anterior fat pad and 239.0 +/- 163.0 ng/g (range 20.0-430.5 ng/g) in the synovial tissue. Drug concentrations up to 1000 times higher were found in the tendon sheath tissue of the ulnar bursa of the five patients undergoing endoscopic carpal tunnel release: average values of 20,107 +/- 7359 ng/g (range 13,004-32,578 ng/g) were obtained in this tissue. Data observed in this trial are consistent with those previously published by other authors, and demonstrate that ketoprofen applied on the skin is able to enter the subcutaneous and intra-articular tissues, reaching concentrations markedly higher than in plasma, and is further able to produce the desired pharmacological activity in situ, whereas plasma concentrations are too low to produce any systemic activity or side effect.