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Surface electrical capacitance as an index of epidermal barrier properties of composite skin substitutes and skin autografts
Author(s) -
Goretsky Michael J.,
Supp Andrew P.,
Greenhalgh David G.,
Warden Glenn D.,
Boyce Steven T.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
wound repair and regeneration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.847
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1524-475X
pISSN - 1067-1927
DOI - 10.1046/j.1524-475x.1995.30406.x
Subject(s) - capacitance , biomedical engineering , materials science , surgery , chemistry , medicine , electrode
Restoration of the epidermal barrier is a requirement for burn wound closure. A rapid, reliable, and noninvasive measure of the rate of restoration of the epidermal barrier is not readily available. To monitor the reformation of the epidermal barrier, we measured surface electrical capacitance on cultured skin substitutes (human keratinocytes and fibroblasts attached to collagen‐glycosaminoglycan substrates) and split‐thickness skin autografts grafted to patients. Data were collected from four patients with burns and one pediatric patient with a congenital hairy nevus comprising > 60% total body surface area. Capacitance measurements were performed at days 7, 10, 12, 14, and 28 by direct contact of the capacitance probe for 10 seconds to the cultured skin substitutes or split‐thickness autograft. On postoperative days 7, 10, 12, 14, 21, and 28, the surface electrical capacitance of cultured skin substitutes after 10 seconds of sampling was 2468 ± 268, 1443 ± 439, 129 ± 43, 200 ± 44, 88 ± 20, and 74 ± 19 picofarads (mean ± standard error of the mean), respectively. Surface electrical capacitance for split‐thickness autograft on the same days was 1699 ± 371, 1914 ± 433, 125 ± 16, 175 ± 63, 110 ± 26, 271 ± 77 picofarads, respectively. Surface electrical capacitance in all of the grafts decreased with time. Cultured skin substitutes had approximately the same 10‐second capacitance values as split‐thickness autograft during 3 weeks of healing and approached values for uninjured skin (32 ± 5 picofarads) by 12 days. Measurement of surface electrical capacitance is a direct, inexpensive, and convenient index for noninvasive monitoring of epidermal barrier formation.