Autologous skin substitute for hard-to-heal ulcers: Retrospective analysis on safety, applicability, and efficacy in an outpatient and hospitalized setting

Chronic ulcers ((arterio)venous, decubitus, or postoperative) have no tendency to heal within a period of at least 3 months despite optimal therapy according to internationally accepted guidelines. This retrospective study evaluates the safety and efficacy of an autologous, dermal-epidermal skin substitute (SS) for treating ulcers of various origins. Ulcers were treated within 7 Dutch centers over 5 years. Sixty-six ulcers (size: 0.75-150 cm2; duration: 0.25-32 years) with a follow-up time of 24 weeks after a single-skin substitute application were assessed. Wound-bed preparation consisted of vacuum-assisted-closure-therapy (5 days, hospitalized) or application of acellular dermis (5-7 days, outpatient). Time to heal, adverse events, and recurrence 1 year after complete healing were recorded. Complete ulcer healing occurred in 36 of 66 ulcers (55%) at 24 weeks. At that time point, a further 29% of ulcers showed decrease in ulcer size between 50 and 99%. No difference was observed between the hospitalized vs. outpatient treatment with complete healing. There were 32 of 36 healed ulcers that were available for follow-up 1 year after complete closure, of which 27 (84%) were still closed. Only two minor/moderate possibly related adverse events were recorded. This retrospective analysis shows that SS provides a safe and successful treatment for particularly chronic ulcers of various origins.