Abstract
ABSTRACT: Chronic wounds are characterized by prolonged inflammation, bacterial bioburden, and ischemia. These factors represent the barriers to wound healing that need to be addressed in order to achieve wound closure. The authors performed the initial clinical testing of WinVivo Wound Ointment ("WinVivo"), a novel topical ointment containing several botanicals that have been previously shown to promote favorable wound environment and advance wound healing. In this series of 13 patients with difficult-to-heal lower-extremity wounds, WinVivo was well tolerated and demonstrated the ability to simultaneously support granulation tissue formation; decrease the amount of exudate, edema, and malodor; and reduce pain. The ulcers included in this study have been present for a minimum of 3 weeks and a maximum of 5 years prior to the start of treatment with WinVivo. Eight of 13 wounds have previously been treated with at least 1 type of advanced wound healing modality, such as dermal substitutes or negative-pressure wound therapy. Treatment with WinVivo lasted for 3 to 12 weeks and resulted in a mean 88% wound closure, with 4 wounds healing completely. In addition to significant reduction in wound size, all patients have exhibited other clinical benefits, suggesting overall improvement in wound conditions. Future studies in a larger population, as well as case-control studies comparing WinVivo with a standard of care, are therefore warranted to further evaluate the efficacy of this new treatment.