2008 Annual Meeting Abstracts

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Cumulative Initial Experience Using Hyaluronate-Iodine Complex in Wound Healing
Robert A. Brenes, MD, Michael S. Ajemian, MD, FACS, Stanley J. Dudrick, MD, FACS.
Saint Mary's Hospital, Waterbury, CT, USA.

Objective:
To study the efficacy of hyaluronate-iodine complex, a wound healing agent currently approved for use in the European Union, on different types of wounds.
Design:
Prospective study of sequentially accrued patients.
Setting:
Community teaching hospital.
Patients:
Fourteen patients with indolent wounds were recruited from the hospital, outpatient center, and the wound healing center.
Interventions:
Hyaluronate-iodine soaked gauze was applied to wounds either daily or every other day. Wounds were measured weekly and progression was documented with digital photography. All wounds were debrided as needed using standard techniques.
Main Outcome Measures:
Decrease in wound area and complete wound healing.
Results:
Fourteen patients (nineteen wounds) have been entered into our prospective study. Nine patients (twelve wounds) have completed treatment. Of the twelve wounds, eleven have gone on to complete healing with a mean healing time of 21 ± 20.82 weeks. Treatment was discontinued in one patient due to burning/painful application of ointment after twenty-two weeks with 20.2% wound area remaining to heal. Five patients (seven wounds) are still undergoing treatment satisfactorily.
Conclusions:
Hyaluronate-iodine is effective in healing all types of wounds studied. Enhanced and accelerated wound healing was noted in both chronic and acute wounds. The anti-adhesive and antimicrobial properties of hyaluronate-iodine are believed to create a desirable environment conducive to natural wound healing. Further studies are being conducted to determine the efficacy of wound healing with hyaluronate-iodine complex as compared to other wound healing agents.

	Type of Wound	Length of Treatment
Patient 1 Patient 1	Chronic venous insufficiency wound Acute venous insufficiency wound	62 weeks 33 weeks
Patient 2	Chronic left groin wound	18 weeks
Patient 3	Chronic traumatic pre-tibial wound	50 weeks
Patient 4 Patient 4	Chronic venous insufficiency wound Traumatic lower extremity wound	20 weeks 18 weeks
Patient 5 Patient 5	Burn to thigh Burn to thigh	7 weeks 7 weeks
Patient 6 Patient 6	Diabetic foot ulcer Diabetic foot ulcer	Still undergoing treatment (10 weeks) Still undergoing treatment (10 weeks)
Patient 7	Perianal fistula with abscess, excision of anorectal fistula	4.5 weeks
Patient 8	Surgical abdominal wound	3.5 weeks
Patient 9 Patient 9	Surgical abdominal wound Surgical abdominal wound	Still undergoing treatment (11.5 weeks) Still undergoing treatment (11.5 weeks)
Patient 10	Surgical abdominal wound	Discontinued after 22 weeks
Patient 11	Chronic diabetic foor ulcer, osteomyelitis, MRSA	Still undergoing treatment (7 weeks)
Patient 12	Venous ulcer	Still undergoing treatment (6 weeks)
Patient 13	Diabetic foot ulcer	Still undergoing treatment (4 weeks)
Patient 14	Diabetic leg ulcer	5 weeks

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