Effect of Hydration on Barrier Performance of Third-Degree Burn Eschar

Abstract

Infection is the primary source of mortality in burn patients. One of the main treatment methods of burn wound infections is topical antimicrobial therapy, in which drugs have to permeate a dead tissue called eschar. Unfortunately, most antimicrobial agents can not permeate eschar in therapeutic levels. Surprisingly, permeation properties of this barrier and effects of chemical or environmental conditions on it, including hydration level which is the subject of the present investigation, is not thoroughly studied as yet.