Lower extremity wounds treated with a synthetic hybrid-scale fiber matrix

Abstract

With wound care costs estimated to be over $28 billion a year in the United States, an alternative wound care therapy is needed that improves treatment outcomes and minimizes overall burden of care to the patient and health system. A synthetic biomaterial that allows for cellular infiltration, neovascularization, and has a tailored resorption rate has recently gained attention for its promising outcomes. In this retrospective case series review involving difficult-to-treat lower extremity wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and transmetatarsal amputations were treated with this synthetic hybrid-scale fiber matrix. Authors hypothesized that the wound fiber matrix would efficiently and successfully augment wound healing with minimal complications and side effects in this complex patient population with lower extremity wounds. Twenty patients with a total of 23 lower extremity wounds were included in this study. The average patient age was 63.7 years old and initial wound size was 18.7 cm2. Patients’ comorbidities included diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, and tobacco use. 96% (n = 22) of the wounds demonstrated complete healing. The average time to heal was 96.1 days, with minimal scar formation. The majority of the wounds only required 1 application to complete wound healing, with 2 wounds requiring two applications and 1 wound requiring three applications. This synthetic hybrid-scale fiber matrix demonstrated high wound healing efficacy with minimal scarring and minimal applications needed, indicating it's a viable option in the treatment of lower extremity wounds.

Keywords

• 4