Reducing infections with percutaneous drivelines for mechanical circulatory support using a tissue engineering inspired approach

Medical devices which cross the skin, such as drivelines that power artificial hearts, create what are essentially chronic wounds and are a major source of life-threatening infection. This research aimed to understand how novel 3-dimensional skin models that closely resemble native human skin, can be used to investigate novel driveline surfaces for their ability to increase skin integration and thus reduce bacterial infections. Using these models, it was shown that porous surfaces increase skin integration but may also exacerbate bacterial infection if microgaps between the tissue and the driveline are present.