Treatment of Complex Lower Extremity Wounds Utilizing Synthetic Hybrid-Scale Fiber Matrix*

Introduction: Chronic, nonhealing wounds are a growing health care problem in the United States, affecting more than 6.5 million patients annually and costing the health care system over $25 billion. Chronic wounds, including diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and venous leg ulcers (VLUs), are often difficult to treat, and patients commonly fail to heal even with the most advanced therapies. The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and utility of the synthetic hybrid-scale fiber matrix in the treatment of complex chronic nonhealing lower extremity ulcers refractory to advanced therapies.

Method: A retrospective analysis of 20 patients with a total of 23 wounds (18 DFUs, 5 VLUs) who underwent treatment utilizing the synthetic hybrid-scale fiber matrix was conducted. The majority of ulcers (78%) included in this study were refractory to one or multiple previous advanced wound therapies and therefore, considered difficult-to-heal ulcers with high failure risk for future therapies.

Results: Subjects had a mean wound age of 16 months and presented with 132 secondary comorbidities and 65 failed interventions and therapies. Treatment of VLUs with the synthetic matrix resulted in complete closure of 100% of the wounds over 244 ± 153 days with an average of 10.8 ± 5.5 applications. Treatment of DFUs with the synthetic matrix resulted in complete closure of 94% of the wounds over 122 ± 69 days with 6.7 ± 3.9 applications.

Discussion: Treatment with the synthetic hybrid-scale fiber matrix resulted in the closure of 96% of complex chronic ulcers refractory to existing therapies. The inclusion of the synthetic hybrid-scale fiber matrix in wound care programs provides a critical and needed solution for costly, long-standing refractory wounds.