Clinical Case Studies
Dr. Adam Landsman produced the whitepaper below, outlining his clinical success with TheraGauze. Several case studies are listed below. Click on case thumbnails for before and after photos.
A New “Smart” Wound Dressing to Control Moisture Content
and Reduce Pain
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If you would like to submit your TheraGauze story for our case files, please contact us.
Click on case thumbnails for before and after photos.
Case #1:
Patient CB is a 29 year old male with sudden onset of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) following septicemia. He presented with a milieu of complicated conditions requiring continuous monitoring of his limb-threatening wounds. Most notable was the fact that he has severely macerated wounds adjacent to gangrene tissues. He also had severe and intractable pain that required dosing with intravenous morphine prior to all dressing changes. After admission to our service, all dressings were switched to TheraGauze® on his feet and legs.
Beginning with the first dressing change after 24 hours, there was immediate improvement. Most notable was the total absence of pain during dressing changes. Additionally, it was immediately observed that the maceration present upon admission was improved within 24 hours, and was virtually eliminated with in 72 hours. Reduction in pain medication was also clearly documented. The patient commented that the TheraGauze® had a soothing sensation as well, and we have found this to be a consistent anecdotal finding among all patients who typically have pain associated with their wounds. Following treatment with the TheraGauze®, patient went on to close midfoot wounds, with no loss other than gangrenous areas of toes and forefoot.
Case #2:
69 year old female with diabetes presented to our clinic with a Wagner, grade 1 ulcer measuring approximately 1 cm x 0.8 cm, at the sulcus of the left foot, just proximal to the 4th toe. The wound had an excellent granular base, and patient had strong dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial pulses. Wound had been present for approximately 3 weeks when she presented. Treatment consisted of TheraGauze® and offloading. Dressings were changed daily. Total closure was achieved in 1 week.
Case #3:
A 67 year old female with diabetes presented with a chronic fissure along the medial aspect of her right first metatarsal phalangeal joint. Saline-moistened dressings were attempted for approximately 1 month with no improvement. Occlusive dressings were also attempted, and this resulted in maceration along with increase in wound size. She was treated with TheraGauze® for 2 weeks and the fissure was completely eliminated. She has not had a recurrence in approximately 10 weeks.
Case #4:
This is a 51 year old male with severe type 1 diabetes and with peripheral ischemia. He has a chronic wound along the lateral aspect of his right foot, at the metatarsal head, that has been present for approximately 4 months. He has chronic serous drainage, and has failed enzymatic debridement and treatment with silver-based dressings. He frequently gets maceration in the periwound region, and has been hospitalized twice in the last year for cellulitis to the right foot. He is neuropathic and reports no pain in the area at all. Treatment was initiated with TheraGauze®, changed twice per week. Full epithelialization and wound closure was achieved in approximately 5 weeks.
Case #5:
In this case, patient underwent a cadaveric skin graft (Graftjacket; Wright Medical, Inc.) for a chronic ulceration on the medial aspect of his foot. This was done in conjunction with a distal vascular bypass. The TheraGauze® was used to retain moisture within the graft site. The TheraGauze® was changed weekly for 4 weeks. At that point, the remaining unincorporated Graftjacket was removed, and the wound was treated with TheraGauze® as the contact layer and dry gauze as the outer layer. The TheraGauze® was changed weekly until full closure, which occurred 3 weeks later. It was noted upon each dressing change that the non-adherent nature of the TheraGauze® caused minimal lifting and disruption of the skin graft. The benefit of SMRT Polymer technology is clear here. The central portions of the wound were kept moist, while the periphery dried slightly, allowing the graft to form a stable seal with the wound bed.
Case #6:
Patient presents with a chief concern of venous stasis dermatitis. In addition to chronic drainage, patient was experiencing itching and chronic edema. Patient was treated exclusively with TheraGauze® dressing for 3 weeks, resulting in rehydration of the skin, closure of sores, and dramatic reduction in dermatitis.
Prior to treatment, patient has multiple petechial Following 3 weeks of treatment with TheraGauze®, hemorrhages, and erythema extending from above the the contrast between the treated area on the left ankle to just below the knee. Multiple, scaly areas of side of this picture and the untreated area to the skin slough are also apparent. right is dramatic. The left side of the picture shows
Case #7:
This case demonstrates a patient who underwent split-thickness skin graft, in which the bolster dressing and subsequent topical dressings were all performed with TheraGauze®. The patient went on to complete closure in 4 weeks. It is particularly notable that the healed skin graft site retained its flexibility and suppleness, a result that has been previously attributed to healing of skin grafts in a moist environment.
Case #8:
Patients undergoing split thickness skin grafts often complain most about pain associated with the donor site, typically on the thigh or calf. These sites have raw nerve endings, and drain profusely as they heal. In the case presented here, the patient underwent a split thickness skin graft, and had pain primarily from his donor site. He was switched to TheraGauze® as the contact layer, and pain was dramatically reduced within 24 hours.
Case #9:
Patient with insulin dependant type diabetes underwent a partial calcanectomy and primary closure for a chronic wound secondary to superficial osteomyelitis of his calcaneous. At his 1st post-operative visit, the wound was very macerated, and dehisced within a week. The dehisced wound was initially treated with antimicrobial and collagen dressings, however maceration persisted. He was switched to TheraGauze® as the contact layer. With TheraGauze® dressing changed every other day, the dehisced wound achieved total closure within 5 weeks.
Case #10:
Woman with type 1 diabetes presented with a chronic ulcer following a forefoot amputation. She underwent a skin advancement flap (V to Y skin plasty) to cover a distal wound. TheraGauze® was implemented immediately after surgery in order to minimize scarring and achieve moisture balance. Time of surgery to full closure is 6 weeks with essentially no scarring.
Case #11:
TheraGauze® makes an ideal dressing for use with living skin equivalents such as Apligraf® (Organogenesis, Inc.). This is a 66 y.o. female with a chronic heel ulcer of 3 months duration. She underwent a single treatment with Apligraf®, kept moist with TheraGauze®. The result was total closure in just one week.
Case #12:
TheraGauze® makes an excellent dressing for a skin graft. It keeps the graft moist, without maceration, greatly enhancing the take rate of the graft. This case involves a split-thickness skin graft, applied to the dorsum of the 1st metatarsal phalangeal joint region.
Case #13:
In this case, TheraGauze is used to deliver an antibiotic solution to the surface of a wound which has dehisced as a result of a post-operative infection. The TheraGauze dressing was saturated with antibiotic just prior to application, and changed every other day for 1 week. The patient went on to full recovery without the loss of any portion of the infect toe.