Multicenter Evaluation of an Advanced Extracellular Matrix Technology for the Management of Chronic Wounds – A Canadian Experience

Clinically evaluate an advanced extracellular matrix (ECM) technology across different Canadian care settings for the management of chronic wounds. Participants (n=33) aged 18–98 were recruited from three sites. Wound types included DFUs (n=10), PI’s (n=8), skin tear (n=1), pilonidal sinus (n=2), necrotizing fasciitis (n=1), venous leg ulcers (n=6), dehisced surgical (n=4) and donor site (n=1). Wound management was undertaken across various care settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and home health. All wounds were managed with best practice, including debridement, maintenance of a moist wound environment, and appropriate compression and off-loading as standard of care. At some point of care, wounds were managed with an ECM, applied daily for seven days (mostly once or twice a week) to the wound bed. Wounds were visually inspected, imaged, and measured over the course of management with ECM.

Most wounds showed improved healing rates and decreased frequency of dressing changes when managed with ECM compared to standard of care. Times to wound closure ranged from 7–65 days, with an average of 35 days. The ECM technology was easy to apply to wounds, and once hydrated in the wound bed, the ECM conformed to the wound bed and could be cut and packed as required by the specific wound. No adverse events observed. Three wounds were removed from evaluation due to identified infection and three patients failed to follow up.

This represents the first Canadian evaluation of ECM for the management of wounds. As previously described for this product, improvements to the granulation tissue were observed, and otherwise stalled chronic wounds began to resolve. The availability of this advanced technology to Canadian wound specialists provides another tool for the management of these complex pathologies.