Preclinical and Clinical Studies of Hyaluronic Acid in Wound Care: A Case Series and Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: Esterified hyaluronic acid is part of a unique dressing that can be used for the treatment of difficult, nonprogressive wounds, including venous leg ulcers (VLUs) and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

OBJECTIVE: The data presented herein represent a small retrospective sample of the authors' clinical experience with this unique material.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from 6 patients with DFUs and 3 patients with VLUs. Patients were assessed at regular intervals, and the change in wound size as well as the percentage of necrotic versus granular tissue were tracked.

RESULTS: The average time for evaluation was 55.25 days (SD = 2.76 days). During this period, the average change in wound size decreased by 6.43 cm2 (SD = 7.55 cm2), from 7.93 cm2 (SD = 8.12 cm2) to 1.50 cm2 (SD = 0.92 cm2), and developed an increase of 74.38% (SD = 32.01%) coverage with granulation tissue from 46.11% (SD = 22.05%), representing about a 50% increase in granulation tissue over the 55 days of evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS: The presented literature supports the contention that hyaluronic acid is a critical component in the complex cascade of wound healing and most likely is responsible for the clinical wound improvement in the case series presented.