Healing of a Complex Surgical Wound using a Novel Self-Assembling Peptide-based Advanced Wound Dressing

Introduction: Lower extremity ulcers account for approximately 1% of total healthcare costs in the western world. They can be debilitating and greatly reduce a patient’s quality of life. Despite a comprehensive treatment regimen, some chronic lower extremity ulcers may fail to respond to conventional modalities, thus necessitating use of emerging technologies for their management.[1] A novel and proprietary self-assembling peptide-based advanced wound dressing[2] offers a novel approach to previously failed wounds. The peptide self-assembles into nanofibrils via noncovalent forces in the wound environment, creating an extracellular matrix-like structure that contours to the macro and micro architecture of the wound milieu.
 
Presentation: A 66-year-old white female developed a non-healing surgical site wound following an emergency vascular bypass operation to the posterior tibial bypass for limb-threatening ischemia. The patient failed both conservative wound care and a skin graft to manage the leg wound. A decision was made to use excisional debridement and concomitant application of a novel self-assembling peptide-based advanced wound dressing weekly for 3 weeks. We observed rapid improvement of the wound with the formation of healthy granulation tissue, allowing the patient to resume at-home wound care with simple dressings sooner than otherwise anticipated.
 
Discussion: In a previously failed/stalled wound, we observed that use of a novel self-assembling peptide-based advanced wound dressing facilitated rapid development of a stable granular wound bed and induced wound closure. Additionally, the ability of this peptide-based wound dressing to quickly restart the previously stalled healing process may obviate the need for continued costly treatments as well as additional procedures, including skin grafts, thus reducing the total cost of lower extremity wound care. Further analysis will yield greater information as to the variety of wounds that may be treated with this novel product.
 
 
 
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<li>Agale SV. Chronic Leg Ulcers: Epidemiology, Aetiopathogenesis, and Management. 2013; 2013:1-9. doi:10.1155/2013/413604

<li>AC5® Advanced Wound System, Arch Therapeutics, Inc., Framingham, MA

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