Clinical evaluation of a bioactive beta-glucan gel in the treatment of 'hard-to-heal' wounds.

Abstract

The aim of this evaluation is to assess the effects of a wound healing gel in a wounds of different aetiologies. Data was recorded on the wound surface area, tissue type, and patient level of wound pain at baseline (0) and at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8. Of the total 39 patients enrolled in the study, 26 patients who complied with the protocol criteria completed the minimum four-week study period. During the 12-week evaluation period, seven of the 26 wounds fully healed and an additional eight wounds showed a reduction in size of more than 50 %. Of the remaining 11, five wounds showed moderate healing progression and six wounds did not respond to treatment. Following the 12 week evaluation time point clinicians reported that a further three wounds healed-a 38 % healing rate. The results give promise that this advanced gel, containing a macrophage activating substance, can be a tool in re-activating healing in stalled wounds where standard of care is no longer giving the desired healing progression.