A debriding gel in the treatment of post-trauma, non-healing lesions.

Background: Topical desiccation agent (TDA) is an acidic species in a gel with a potent hygroscopic action. When in contact with (water in) biofilm and necrosis, rapid desiccation occurs, with the dehydrated tissues typically sloughing off in 1-3 days. This allows for quick granulation tissue formation which is an essential step for healing by secondary intention or as wound bed preparation for grafting.

Methods: A series of nine non-healing, post-trauma lesions on the lower leg were treated with TDA, followed by treatment of the lesion with vaseline gauze.

Results: The average age of the patients was 77.0 years and the lesions had been in existence for 5.6 months on average. The average size of the lesion was 15.9 cm². Complete granulation of all lesions was reached in an average of 34.1 days while the time to complete reepithelialization averaged, 69.8 days (data from one outlier removed). There were no adverse events.

Conclusion: These data suggest TDA treatment is an effective and efficient way to debride lesions, and to prepare them for healing by secondary intention or for grafting.