Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) constitute a complication that occurs in 19% to 34% of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study is to describe median days to healing, average velocity of wound closure, and percentage of wound surface closed at 3, 6, and 12 weeks through the use of homogenized and lyophilized amniotic membrane (hAMpe) dressings for the treatment of DFUs in ambulatory patients.
Methods: An observational, descriptive, longitudinal study was performed. Patients presenting with granulation-based DFU, after proper debridement, were included from August 19, 2021, until July 14, 2023. hAMpe dressings placed every 3 days were used for the treatment of these ulcers.
Results: Sixteen patients were included with a mean age of 52.38 (8.07) years. The analyzed lesions were postsurgical ulcers in 15 of the 16 included patients. Median ulcer size was 19.5 cm2 (6.12-36). The median ABI was 1.10 (1-1.14). The median days to healing was 96 (71-170). The median percentage closure of the wound at 3 weeks was 41% (28.9%-55.3%), at 6 weeks it was 68.2% (48.6%-74.2%), and at 12 weeks it was 100% (81%-100%). The average velocity closure was 1.04% per day (95% CI 0.71%-1.31%). It was higher during the closure of the first 50% of the ulcer, 2.12% per day (95% CI 0.16%-4.09%), and decreased from 50% to 25% of the ulcer size to 0.67% per day (95% CI 0.23%-1.10%) and from 25% to closure to 0.47% per day (95% CI 0.14%-0.80%), P < .001.
Conclusion: These results are difficult to compare to other studies given the higher surface area of the ulcers included in our sample. The development of hAMpe dressings enables patients to apply them without requiring assistance from health care teams and was not associated with any recognized complications.
Level of evidence: Level IV, case series.
Keywords: advanced wound healing; amniotic membrane; diabetic foot; hAMpe; velocity wound closure; wound healing.