Early Stage Treatment of Compartment Syndrome Using Polymer Sol-Gel Composite Growth Factor Delivery Wound Dressings

Abstract : Compartment syndrome (CS) as a result of blast or traumatic injury is a devastating problem in the battlefield. The ultimate goal of this study is to develop an integrated toolkit of novel, biodegradable wound dressing composites for early stage treatment of CS. Composites made from the tyrosine-based block copolymers and silica based sol-gels were designed as an absorbent to remove fluid from injured muscle compartments and as wound dressings to deliver therapeutic agents to the compartment. This in vitro study reports the controlled release of protein analog and antibiotics from the room temperature processed sol-gel particles. Furthermore, this study reports the fabrication of the composite wound dressings with mechanical properties for the clinical application.