For someone with diabetes, a stubbed toe, trivial scrape, or minor cut can rapidly become serious. This condition impairs the body’s healing ability, so a small wound can become life threatening. It is estimated that chronic wounds affect as many as 1 – 2% of people in their lifetime, but there is new hope for patients who suffer from chronic, non-healing wounds and ulcers. A new book chapter co-authored by President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation Dr. William Li describes a new approach for treating chronic wounds using dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft (dHACM)— derived from a reproductive tissue found in the placenta. The chapter is published in Current Update on Orthobiologics in Foot and Ankle Surgery.
Chapter eleven, “The Use of Human Amion/Chorion Membrane in the Clinical Setting for Lower Extremity Repair: A Review,” analyzes the rationale and effectiveness of using dHACM as a treatment method for chronic wounds such as diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers and venous insufficiency ulcers. dHACM is created from in the innermost lining of the placenta, and contains many growth factors important for the healing of both chronic and acute wounds. It can also assist in healthy angiogenesis and tissue regeneration. The review covers the substantial preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the use of dHACM as a treatment modality for wound care. As an added benefit, sheets of amniotic membrane can be used to decrease scarring.
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