Does A Unique Amniotic Membrane Allograft Promote Advanced Wound Healing?

Podiatrists who are treating dermal ulcers and defects may want to consider an emerging wound allograft that might offer improved regenerative healing.  

Neox Wound Matrix is a wound covering made from a cryopreserved human amniotic membrane and umbilical cord. For Neox, the manufacturer Amniox Medical notes that it uses a CryoTek processing method, which is scientifically proven to maintain the innate physical and biological properties of the tissues through deep freezing rather than dehydrating.

Howard Kimmel, DPM, has been using Neox Wound Matrix for approximately one year. He notes that the product, which comes directly from the umbilical cord rather than the placenta, is thicker than traditional amnion/chorion products.

“The major impact that I have seen is that it requires less applications and I think that this is due to the amount of heavy chain hyaluronic acid that is present in the product,” explains Dr. Kimmel, a Senior Clinical Instructor in the Department of Surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Additionally, Mark Couture, DPM, has been using the product for more than two years and agrees that Neox has outperformed similar products on the market.

Dr. Couture explains he uses Neox alone and in conjunction with other wound care treatments. He is currently involved in a retrospective study on his experience with Neox and transcutaneous oxygen use. Dr. Couture notes that in combination, these modalities have helped advance healing in many wounds that have stopped responding to other treatments.

Using Neox alone, Dr. Couture says that healing time depends on many factors. However, in his experience, the average healing time is four to eight weeks. Additionally, Neox works “extremely well” in non-diabetic, post-surgical wounds, notes Dr. Couture, who is in practice at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System.

Jennifer Swan, DPM, who has been using Neox Wound Allograft for more than two years, notes that she has been able to heal wounds in some cases in three weeks or less with one application and no additional wound care.

Another advantage of the product is its ability to reduce scar formation and minimize pain, adds Dr. Swan, who is in private practice in Westerville, Ohio.

Drs. Couture, Kimmel and Swan maintain that it is very important for DPMs to follow the principles of good wound healing when using Neox.  

“Inconsistent debridement, tissue application and/or (inconsistent) follow-up appointments can all be detrimental to wound healing. Therefore, (inadequate healing) may not necessarily be the fault of what you are putting on a wound,” explains Dr. Couture.

While Dr. Swan agrees that debridement prior to application is important, she warns DPMs against debriding too soon after applying Neox as it may “disturb the healing properties (of the product).”

“If I had the choice for all my wounds, I would apply (Neox) early to provide expedient healing with minimal applications and reduction of scar formation,” adds Dr. Swan.

Ms. Chicano is a freelance writer who lives in Philadelphia.