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Case Series/Study
A 24-year-old female patient, who was in a severe motor vehicle accident one month prior, presented with a failed skin graft over the right upper extremity. Her initial injuries included a C7 fracture, T5-T9 rib fractures, a right upper extremity fracture, right pneumothorax and degloving of the right upper extremity. Despite completing dressing changes at home, the proximal portion of the skin graft became infected, began to necrose, and became a chronic non healing wound. After debridement, the patient’s wound measured 164.64 cm3 and a bioresorbable silver matrix (Microfilm Matrix) was used to manage bioburden and support epithelialization.
Methods:
Two days after debridement, her wound was treated with Microfilm Matrix and NPWT at 125 mmHg continuous. Prior to debridement and Microfilm Matrix treatment, the wound was cleansed with normal saline and wrapped in 4x4 gauze and kerlix to accommodate drainage. Microfilm Matrix was then applied on days, 6, 13, 19 and 34. On day 14 NPWT was used alone, and on day 34, Microfilm Matrix was used alone. Once the wound had granulated to skin level, Vaseline gauze was used over the wound to provide a moist healing environment.
Results:
After just four days of Microfilm Matrix and NPWT treatment, the patient's wound decreased by an astonishing 90%. At week 4, her wound was 96% healed and 100% healed by week 5.
Discussion:
As an adjunct wound healing therapy, Microfilm Matrix was able to decontaminate a deep tunneling wound without need for additional OR debridement, IV antibiotics or an additional skin graft surgery. The patient healed quickly which decreased the risk of infection. Once the infection was treated topically and the drainage decreased, the patient reported less pain and started physical therapy to increase the range of motion in the right arm. Overall, this was an amazing outcome that provided the patient an opportunity to quickly and independently return to her activities of daily living.
Trademarked Items:
References: 1) Sarah W. Manning, D. A. H., William R. Shillinglaw, Eric Crawford, Gaurav Pranami, Ankit Agarwal, Michael J.
Schurr (2020). "Efficacy of a Bioresorbable Matrix in Healing Complex Chronic Wounds: An Open-Label
Prospective Pilot Study." Wounds 32(11).
2) Chatelain, R. (2021). "The Efficacy of a Novel Silver-Containing Bioresorbable Microfilm Matrix in At-Risk
Surgical Wounds: A Clinical Case Series." Wounds: a Compendium of Clinical Research and Practice 33(10):
245-252.