03.08.12
Putting an end to graft
Source: by Fenton Coulthurst
There has been a breakthrough in the treatment of leg ulcers with the development of the ‘spray-on skin’ treatment. The spray, consisting of skin cells – keratinocytes and fibroblasts – suspended in a mixture of blood clotting agents, was found to significantly improve the healing rate and proportion of leg ulcer wounds.
One major impact this will have is reducing the necessity of skin grafts when the treatment extends into general usage. As its stands, skin grafts run the risk of causing more wounds in the future for venous leg ulcer sufferers because the graft site can often develop into an ulcer wound itself and naturally runs the risk of infection too.
The applications for the spray range well beyond leg ulcers. The theory behind the skin-spray is already being used to research treatment on conditions such as tissue scarring and treating burns.
This would result in great improvements in patient care because many of these conditions require skin grafts. Skin grafts are inconvenient at the very least because they double the amount of healing required, cause further discomfort and potential scarring for patients and can be responsible for further complications in some conditions.
‘Spray-on skin’ has a lot to offer on many fronts in healthcare.
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