Breaking Down 3M Tegaderm Matrix Dressing with PHI Technology

The staff of Today's Wound Clinic spoke with Dr. Christopher Hendrix, DPM, FACFAS to learn more about 3M™ Tegaderm™ Matrix Dressing with PHI™ technology. We are excited to share this valuable information and help clinicians zero in on this product in this first Online Issue for Today's Wound Clinic.

1)What is your name, title, location and where do you practice?
My name is Christopher Hendrix, DPM, FACFAS, and I’m a podiatric foot and ankle surgeon at Mid-South Foot and Ankle Specialists in Memphis, Tennessee.

2) How long have you been in wound care?
For several years prior to medical school, I was a registered nurse in a cardiovascular practice and one thing I kept noticing was how difficult lower extremity wounds were to heal. That is part of what prompted me to return to medical school. Specifically, I wanted to focus my practice on the care and closure of wounds affecting the lower extremity.

3) Describe your relationship with 3M for our readers?
At the spring SAWC conference, I presented case studies in 3M’s booth about the successes my clinic has had with 3M™ Tegaderm™ Matrix Dressing with PHI™ technology. These case studies showed that when conventional treatments failed on chronic or stalled wounds, Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing took wounds to complete healing.

4) Can you describe Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing?
3M™ Tegaderm™ Matrix Dressing with PHI™ technology is a dressing that is best used on stalled or hard-to-heal wounds like diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers and venous ulcers. When wounds experience an overrun of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP, the wound environment becomes unbalanced and over time that causes the wound to stall. The PHI™ technology in the dressing consists of four cations that are naturally occurring in the body. The cations come together to help slow or halt MMP production, re-balance the wound environment and jump-start the wound into healing.

5) How long ago did you start using this product?
I have been using Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing for approximately 4-5 years. One of my first experiences was with a patient with chronic heel ulcers who had been using the product and experienced complete healing. After learning more about the product, I quickly integrated it into my treatment regimen for chronic non-healing wounds. It became abundantly clear to me that I needed to use Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing regularly in my practice.

6) How often do you use this product in your practice?
I use this product everyday in private practice. It has become an integral part of treating wounds that are chronic, stalled, or otherwise difficult to heal. In my experience, this product is most effective when patients are presenting with slowed or stalled wounds that are 4-5 weeks without healing.

7) Are there any studies on this product, or stories of patient care that you would like to share with other clinicians?
There are several articles available regarding the environment of chronic wounds and the excessive levels of MMPs in chronic wounds. There is also quite a bit of laboratory data available regarding the effectiveness of PHI™ technology in down regulating high levels of MMPs.

Over the past couple of years, a number of patients have benefited from the use of Tegaderm™ Matrix Dressing with PHI™ technology on stalled or hard-to-heal wounds. The following case studies represent some of our greatest success stories:

•Case study 1: A 47 year-old policeman with a spinal cord injury had altered his gait to compensate and as a result, had a full thickness ulcer on his heel pad; the injury persisted for two years. After debriding the heel, a graft jacket was applied, which he then walked off immediately post-op. Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing was initiated in November 2006 with the wound reaching complete healing by February 2007.

•Case study 2: A 55 year-old airline attendant with diabetes and vascular disease presented with a painful, dusky digit that soon turned necrotic and eventually was amputated in June 2007. By September, the wound had not yet healed and biofilm began developing on the wound. Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing was applied beginning in September 2007 and by December, the wound demonstrated complete closure.

•Case study 3: An 80 year gentleman developed a heel decubitus while in rehab following a hip fracture and subsequent hip surgery. After his discharge, I was consulted for care of the heel wound –which was now several weeks old. Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing was used along with serial debridements, and the heel ulcers were healed within four weeks.

8) Why would you recommend this product to clinicians practicing wound care in the clinic setting?
Simply speaking, Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing works. For wound care specialists, like me, dealing with stalled or hard-to-heal wounds can be frustrating. These wounds cause great pain to the patient and seem to be resistant to other treatment modalities. Through its use of PHI™ technology, Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing addresses the wound at a cellular level, rebalancing the wound environment and putting it on the path towards healing. This is truly the future of wound treatment.

9) Is there anything else regarding this product that you would like to share?
For patients and physicians who are dealing with stalled, hard-to-heal or unbalanced wounds, 3M™ Tegaderm™ Matrix dressing with PHI™ technology is an important option for them to consider. Because the technology consists of four naturally occurring cations in the body, the dressing helps jump start the wound and progresses it towards healing.