UMBILICAL CORD IS SHOWN TO HELP CHRONIC WOUNDS HEAL

posted: Sep. 07, 2016.

 

Cryopreserved umbilical cord, or cUC, allografts healed nearly 80% of chronic wounds in a retrospective review of a Texas veterans clinic. Researchers examined the charts of 57 patients with 64 chronic wounds, all of them treated at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple, TX.

 

Dr. Mark Couture

 

 

Principal investigator, podiatrist Dr. Mark Couture, debrided the wounds in his clinic or in an operating room, then placed the cUC directly over the wound bed and secured it with a non-adherent layer and moist gauze or sterile dressing. Additional debridement and cUC were given, if needed, weekly. In all, 51 wounds, or 79.7%, healed completely, with an average of 3.43 applications. According to the July issue of Wounds, 51% of the wounds had healed by four weeks.