Improving Quality of Life for Patients With Venous Leg Ulcers

We are very concerned about the different types of antiseptics that are available and the efficaciousness of the antiseptics. One in particular that we commonly use is polyhexamethylene biguanide, otherwise known as PHMB. The study involves a perspective open label, single arm study, looking at many different factors in wound healing.

I was surprised to find, as we recruited the patients, significant reduction not only in wound healing, where we saw higher levels of over 80 percent granulation tissue, but additionally, I was also surprised to find the significant reduction in pain. Patients solicited less pain associated with the use of PHMB. Our quality-of-life measures demonstrated statistical significance of improvement.

This was only a preliminary 43 patients study. Certainly, there's room for a randomized control trials, incorporating more information on the findings that we were able to elicit in this smaller 43 patient trial.

Many podiatric and vascular surgeons do treat similarly the types of lesions that we see on leg ulcers, which include patients with venous leg ulcers. Working together to establish algorithms and best practices is probably going to be the most eminent thing that will change patients' outcomes in the future.