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Surgical FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is tissue engineering?

A. Tissue engineering, which as a science began in the early 1980s, is a subset of the field of regenerative medicine. It applies the principles of engineering to the field of medicine with the objective of repairing and restoring damaged or missing tissues and organs.

Q. What is the ACell Vet™ material?

A. The ACell Vet™ product is an innovative tissue engineered resorbable bioscaffold that promotes the restoration of damaged or injured tissue. It consists of a naturally occurring, extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold that promotes the repair and replacement of tissues. Acting as a template, this biological scaffold repairs damaged tissues by promoting the body's own wound healing capabilities.

Q. How has the ACell Vet™ product been used in practice?

A. The ACell Vet™ bioscaffold has been used in a wide variety of difficult healing applications. This includes:

  • Equine Tendon and Ligament Injuries
  • Skin Wound Care
  • Corneal Ulcers
  • Dental Applications
  • Gastrointestinal Surgery
  • Urological procedures
  • Dura Mater Repair
  • Body wall and other soft tissue repair

Practicing veterinarians have also used the ACell Vet™ material in a wide variety of other cases and procedures.

Q. What types of animals have been treated with the ACell Vet™ product?

A. The ACell Vet™ product has been used to successfully treat a wide variety of animals including dogs, cats and other small animals, equine patients, large animals and exotic animals.

Q. How does the ACell Vet™ material promote healing?

A. The ACell Vet™ bioscaffold promotes healing by encouraging new blood vessel formation and causing constructive remodeling of damaged tissues. When applied at the site of injury or surgery, host cells attach to it, grow into it, degrade it, and replace it with tissues that are site appropriate.

Q. Why isn't the ACell Vet™ bioscaffold rejected by the host?

A. The ACell Vet™ bioscaffold is acellular. That means that the cell markers that might cause an adverse immune response are removed. What remains is an acellular matrix that appears to provide signals to the host immune system that stimulates an adaptive or accommodative response. This is ideal for both wound healing and three-dimensional growth of various cell types.

Q. What happens to the ACell Vet™ matrix after it is placed in a wound site? Is it resorbed?

A. The ACell Vet™ product is completely resorbable. During the process of tissue reconstruction, the ACell Vet™ bioscaffold is gradually degraded and absorbed by the body and is replaced by host generated tissue. This reduces the possibility of a chronic inflammatory response by the host against a permanently implanted foreign material.

Q. What is the structure of the ACell Vet™ bioscaffold?

A. Microscopically, ACell Vet™ is a three-dimensional matrix composed of different proteins and is virtually impossible to recreate in a laboratory.

Q. How is the ACell Vet™ product manufactured?

A. The product is derived from the urinary bladder of specially raised SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) pigs. The porcine bladder is extensively and carefully processed by hand, ensuring a consistent, quality product.

Q. How is the ACell Vet™ product packaged?

A. Each ACell Vet™ product is packaged sterile in an individual package. It is currently available in lyophilized form (freeze dried).

Q. What does the notch represent on the ACell Vet™ sheet?

A. The ACell Vet™ matrix is a two-sided structure. The top side of the matrix can be identified when the notch is on the right side. The top side encourages epithelial cell growth. The bottom layer encourages the growth of muscle cell and other types of tissues.

Q. Should I debride a wound after treatment with the ACell Vet™ product?

A. No. Carefully remove the dressing trying not to disturb the new cell growth underneath. Then place the new sheet of the ACell Vet™ material on top. Dress with saline-soaked gauze and Vaseline gauze and then a Vet-wrap dressing. Gentle rinsing with saline can be used to remove excess exudate.

Q. How often should I add a new ACell Vet™ sheet to a wound?

A. A new dressing of saline soaked gauze should be applied 3-4 days after the initial treatment, taking care not to remove any of the ACell Vet™ material with the original dressing. The dressing should be changed again in another 4-5 days with consideration given for a second application of ACell Vet™ material. If the healing of the wound is progressing simply re-dress with saline soaked gauze and continue this procedure every 4-5 days. A second application of ACell Vet™ material should be considered 2-3 weeks following the initial treatment, if not applied during a previous change of dressing.

Q. How long does it typically take to heal a wound?

A. There is no typical wound. Such issues as size, species, chronicity of the wound, infection, depth, and other medical co-morbid conditions such as diabetes play a role in the time it takes to heal. Fresh wounds treated before infection occurs may heal in 2-3 weeks. Older chronic wounds may take 2-3 months. How long the ACell Vet™ product is used depends on progress, not time. If the wound is healing, then treatment should continue.

Q. When does the ACell Vet™ product not work?

A. The ACell Vet™ product does not work when it does not see normal body stresses. The ACell Vet™ product may not work if the sterile package has been damaged, or if it is exposed to high temperatures or ultraviolet light. In addition, foreign materials, such as cat gut suture, chemicals, or other may render the material ineffective.

The following is a list of some common solutions that may denature the proteins in the ACell Vet™ material:

  • Alcohol or any alcohol based solution
  • Detergents and soaps (e.g., Zepharin)
  • Iodine containing products (e.g., Betadine)
  • Any product with Silver nitrate (e.g., Silvadiene or other metalo bases)
  • Hydrogen peroxide, Dakin's Soln. (bleach) Chlorine
  • Cortisone based products (e.g., topical anti-inflammatory medications)

Also, try to avoid direct contact between the ACell Vet™ bioscaffold and topical antibiotics, particularly amino glycosides and products that contain sulfa, etc. There should not be any need for additional antibiotics unless gross contamination and infection are present.