Equine Pericardium Collagen Wound Dressing in the Treatment of the Neuropathic Diabetic Foot Wound

Abstract

Treatment of diabetic foot wounds remains a major health-care issue, with diabetic foot ulcers representing the most common causal pathway to lower-extremity amputation. Although several investigations have examined topical collagen-based dressings, none have specifically looked at equine pericardium. We, therefore, evaluated the effect of the equine pericardium dressing on neuropathic foot wounds. Twenty-three consecutive patients with 34 neuropathic foot wounds were evaluated as part of a pilot study. An equine pericardium dressing was applied in a standard manner, and the patients followed a standard postapplication treatment protocol. Changes in wound size were recorded when the equine dressing was removed and 4 and 12 weeks after application. Patients underwent dressing changes every 3 to 4 days until healed or for 12 weeks. Thirty-two wounds in 22 patients were prospectively available for evaluation. On enrollment, the median wound size was 299 mm2. When the equine material was removed (mean, 2.9 weeks), 30 of the wounds (94%) had improved, with a median size of 115 mm2 and an average reduction in size of 44.3% (P<.0001). At 4 weeks, the average decrease in wound size was 52.3% (P<.0001). At 12 weeks, 15 wounds (47%) had healed. This first report of equine pericardium used to treat neuropathic foot ulcerations demonstrates that the equine pericardium dressing is a safe and beneficial treatment for neuropathic wounds.