Cryopreserved tissue aids healing of diabetic ulcer | Maine hospital offers interdisciplinary wound care program | Cold plasma patch can aid would healing
An Iowa woman with a nonhealing diabetic foot ulcer was treated successfully with Grafix, cryopreserved human placental tissue, at the Wound Care Center at Mercy Medical Center. The treatment "really is a game-changer for these types of injuries and these types of ulcers," said Michael Garrett, a certified hyperbaric wound specialist and advanced registered nurse practitioner at Mercy.
Maine's Blue Hill Memorial Hospital developed an interdisciplinary program to treat diabetic ulcers, venous stasis ulcers and other chronic wounds and to offer ostomy care and negative pressure therapy management. The program will work with vascular and surgical specialists as well as dermatologists and primary care physicians throughout the region.
A German company, COLDPLASMATECH, is using a cold plasma patch, which carries an electrical charge and can generate a magnetic field, to help kill drug-resistant bacteria and encourage chronic wound healing. Another company, Biovotec, processes the membranes from chicken eggshells to manufacture a natural material that also can be used for dressing wounds.
Sensoria Health is partnering with Optima Molliter to develop a smart boot, called Motus Smart, that can monitor patient compliance. The offloading device, intended to improve healing of diabetic foot ulcers, uses text messages and a web interface to record compliance and communicate with caregivers and clinicians.
A study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology showed that 48% of patients with noninfected neuroischemic diabetic foot ulcers who were treated with sucrose octasulfate dressing achieved wound closure at week 20, compared with 30% of those on placebo. Researchers evaluated 240 patients from 43 hospitals in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and found that those in the active treatment group had a significantly shorter estimated time to wound closure than those in the placebo group.
A Congressional Budget Office analysis found that elimination of the Affordable Care Act penalty for Americans who don't buy health insurance means fewer parents are likely to sign their children up for coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program. However, if CHIP funding is not renewed, some parents will turn to ACA markets for coverage, where enrollment will increase and the government will ultimately spend more on children's health care, according to the report.
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.
Elizabeth Bibesco, writer
About Advanced Tissue
Advanced Tissue is a leading wound care supply company offering a comprehensive line of wound care products from virtually all manufacturers. We understand the many obstacles associated with effective wound treatment and use this insight to provide the efficient delivery of dressings to enable enhanced compliance and improved patient outcomes.