Porcine tri-layer wound matrix for the treatment of stage IV pressure ulcers

Abstract

Pressure ulcers represent a significant cause of morbidity and health care expenditure in the United States. A pressure ulcer is a lesion of localized injury to the skin or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, resulting from pressure alone or in combination with shear forces.1 Ulcers are staged based on depth of tissue involvement. Using the revised National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Staging System, a stage IV pressure ulcer is characterized by full-thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle that is visible or directly palpable.1 In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of bioengineered skin substitutes for the treatment of chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers. One such product, OASIS Ultra Tri-Layer Wound Matrix (Smith & Nephew, Inc, Hull, UK), is a dermal skin substitute derived from decellularized porcine jejunal submucosa.2 We present a case of impressive wound healing using OASIS Ultra Tri-Layer Wound Matrix in a patient with multiple stage IV pressure ulcers.