Hyaluronic acid in incision wound fluid: A clinical study with the Cellstick® device in children

When inserted into a human incision wound, the Cellstick® device harvests inflammatory cells and collects wound fluid, reflecting time‐related changes in cell populations and in wound fluid composition. Hyaluronic acid has been postulated to be an important factor in scar reduction in wound healing and in scarless fetal wound healing. The aim of this work was to determine the concentration and variation of hyaluronic acid and proportions of wound cells in closed surgical wounds in children at two time points. The Cellstick® device was inserted subcutaneously into the wound at the end of an elective inguinal hernia operation on 37 healthy boys, and the devices were removed 3±1 or 24±3 hours after surgery. Haluronic acid concentration was measured from the wound fluid and a differential count of the wound cells was performed. There was a significant decrease in hyaluronic acid concentration from 3±1 to 24±3 hours after surgery (p