Increased fluid in the pleural cavity is associated with following diseases: pulmonary inflammation, heart failure, pulmonary embolism, oncological processes, tuberculosis. When the amount of liquid is high, it causes respiratory failure. A drainage is often introduced into the pleura cavity in order to remove fluid and / or air accumulated in the pleura cavity, or to allow the lungs to expand, ensuring the body’s oxygen supply. It is fixed to the skin and connected to a special container. Various dressings are used to attach the drain, but most of them are not suitable for this purpose. Often these dressings damage the surrounding skin, cause allergies or release of antibacterial compounds that have toxic, carcinogenic effects.
Pleural cavity drainage can take from few days to several weeks, therefore it is very important to choose a dressing that will not disturb the patient and will provide safe antibacterial activity.
The aim of this work was to produce anti-bacterial films of calcium alginate with hyaluronic acid for the formation of polymer dressings. The resulting films were plastified with glycerol, cross-linked using divalent calcium ions, and coated with resin, obtained from mastic pistachios. Studies have shown that hyaluronic acid and resin contained in the film have an effect on the film antibacterial activity. The molded films exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis.
Studies show that the produced films have a great prospect for the formation of polymer dressings intended for the attachment of drains.
Duration:
2018 - 2018
