Acrymed Demonstrates Successful Delivery Of Dissolved Oxygen Via Wound Dressings

Main Category: Dermatology
Also Included In: MRSA / Drug Resistance;  Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 31 May 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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New technology that delivers oxygen directly into wound sites to promote healing was revealed at the Wound Healing Society Meeting held earlier this month in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. David Roe, the lead scientist for AcryMed Inc.'s oxygen therapy development program, publicly presented for the first time research results from tests on wound dressings that incorporate oxygen-delivering technology.

Research has shown that an increase in dissolved oxygen in wounds is beneficial for promoting the closure of wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. To date the only effective way to accomplish this clinically has been through the use of hyperbaric oxygen chambers. Due to the cost and inconvenience of these chambers, there has been high interest in the development of alternative technology that provides topically delivered oxygen directly to the wound. To date the technologies that have evolved have relied on the topical administration of gaseous oxygen - a form of oxygen that has not proven to be effective in wound healing.

Dr. Roe's findings revealed a breakthrough in the development of wound dressings that supply dissolved oxygen. The new devices from AcryMed have been dubbed Oxygenesysä TDOä (Topical Dissolved Oxygen System).

"Our research shows that these new devices deliver significant amounts of dissolved oxygen, which is the biologically relevant form" said Dr. Bruce Gibbins, Founder and Chief Technical Officer at AcryMed. "We conducted studies on human donor skin to show for the first time that through Oxygenesys TDO, sufficient oxygen penetrates deep into tissues to make up for the oxygen deficiency that may be encountered in chronic wounds. The results show that this new technology delivers significant amounts of oxygen to the wound site and even permeates the skin tissue at a rate that is at least 3 times higher than the level delivered by blood. These lab findings were extended by wound healing experiments in which Dr. Roe showed that wounds in animals healed faster with oxygenated dressings than with plain dressings. We are now eager to determine if this benefit occurs in patients."

"Now for the first time, hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from ischemic chronic wounds may have a real alternative to expensive on-going hyperbaric oxygen treatment," said plastic surgeon Dan Ladizinsky, MD, FACS. "These preliminary studies are very promising and suggest that a breakthrough in ischemic wound healing is near."

Wounds require oxygen to heal. For many diabetics and others suffering from chronic wounds, poor circulation of oxygen-rich blood to the wound site (ischemia) can severely retard the healing process. To date, the only viable solution is hyperbaric oxygen therapy - an ongoing treatment in which a patient spends hours in a pressurized chamber breathing oxygen rich air. The therapy typically requires repeated sessions extended over a period of weeks or months. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is both expensive and time-consuming. For those not living close to proper facilities, this treatment may be impractical.

"The ability to deliver dissolved oxygen directly to a wound site using an easy to apply wound dressings represents a real breakthrough in medical science," said Gibbins. "Our preliminary results are quite promising and by working directly with device manufacturers we expect to have a real solution of this kind on the market soon."

For more information on AcryMed, visit http://www.AcryMed.com.

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