The following is a summary of “Assessment of Pain, Healing Time, and Wound Contraction in Postoperative Auricular Defects Healing Secondarily With and Without the Use of a Porcine Xenograft, a Pilot Study” published in the December 2022 issue of Dermatologic Surgery by Coman et al.
Secondary intention healing (SIH) is effective in mending postoperative auricular abnormalities; nonetheless, postoperative discomfort, perichondritis, and chondritis are all possibilities. Evaluate the efficacy of a porcine xenograft in reducing postoperative pain and accelerating wound healing in patients with auricular lesions that repair by secondary intention. A total of 21 people participated in the research. The primary outcome measure was self-reported pain intensity between days 0 and 14 post-procedure.
Secondary outcomes included the rate of wound contraction and the length of time it took for the wound to re-epithelialize to greater than 90%. On postoperative days 4, 7, 12, and 13, the median pain score was 1 to 2 points higher in the porcine transplant group compared to the control group. In all groups, there was no statistically significant difference in the time it took for reepithelialization to occur at 90% or above (P=.94).
In both the porcine and the control groups, the average wound contraction was 34.1% (P=.95). Overall, participants in this pilot research reported minimal pain. The median pain score was slightly lower after a porcine xenograft was implanted than after the standard SIH procedure. It was shown that the control group was more likely to have patients who needed analgesics. There was a correlation between the rate of reepithelialization and the tightness of the wound.
