Evaluation of Healing and External Tunnel Histology of Silver-Coated Peritoneal Catheters in Rats

This study evaluated the healing and biocompatibility of silver-coated versus standard peritoneal catheters in 14 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Silver-coated catheters were found to enhance healing at exit sites, with 6 out of 7 showing excellent healing compared to 4 out of 7 for standard catheters. The study noted that both types of catheters had similar tunnel histomorphology, indicating favorable biocompatibility of silver. Poorly healing or infected sites exhibited high vascular granulation tissue and inflammation. Overall, silver-coating was suggested to potentially improve healing outcomes for peritoneal catheter exit sites.