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Management of Foot Ulcers and Chronic Wounds with Amniotic Membrane in Comorbid Patients: A Successful Experience

Authors :
Mónica Rodríguez-Valiente
Ana M. García-Hernández
Cristina Fuente-Mora
Javier Sánchez-Gálvez
Eva María García-Vizcaino
Elena Tristante Barrenechea
Gregorio Castellanos Escrig
Sergio David Liarte Lastra
Francisco Jose Nicolás
Source :
Biomedicines, Vol 12, Iss 10, p 2380 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Chronic wounds are defined as those with disturbances in normal healing. They involve symptoms like exudate, odor, pain or impaired mobility, severely impacting life quality. In the case of patients with additional comorbidities, these are known to aggravate the healing impairment. Amniotic membrane (AM) is gaining attention for its regenerative potential, as it has shown promise in treating hard-to-heal wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers. This work examines a series of five patients who, while suffering an array of other chronic conditions, were treated with AM for the management of non-healing chronic ulcers. Inclusion criteria involved patients with lesions that have been active at least for six weeks and resistant to multiple treatments, accompanied by complex underlying pathologies affecting cardiovascular, immune or renal functions. Exclusion criteria included untreated active infections and patients undergoing other experimental treatments. The mean age of the patients was 68.4 ± 5.2 years. Wounds were treated once a week with AM, following standardized procedures. The variables measured included pain levels, microorganism presence, wound reduction and the number of AM applications to recovery. The median pain VAS score decreased significantly from seven at the start to two at the end of procedures. Four out of five patients achieved complete epithelialization, while the remaining patient showed significant reductions of 40% in wound size after 14 months. Our results confirm how the application of AM is a safe and effective resource for the management of chronic wounds in patients with serious comorbidities, enhancing patients’ quality of life, firstly by reducing pain, later by allowing recovery. Future research, including molecular analyses of wound exudates before and after AM treatment, can contribute to better understanding and fine tuning of this therapeutic resource.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22279059
Volume :
12
Issue :
10
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Biomedicines
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.322b5b375e44478db4f6c920e762fcb7
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12102380