Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Medical Device Based on Hyaluronic Acid in Wounds

Overview

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety and performance of a Class IIB medical device based on linear hyaluronic acid used in the treatment of post-surgical wounds. The outcomes of the study are the improvement of wound healing assessed through the Clinical Healing score (score from 0 to 5), which includes the evaluation of: redness, edema, suppuration, healthy granulation tissue and signs of re-epithelialization; the percentage of patients with completely healed wounds at day 30 post-treatment; the pain perceived by the patient when changing the dressing; the frequency of adverse events.

Wound healing is a complex and dynamic process, which is still far from being fully understood. Wounds can be classified based on different characteristics such as the triggering factor, exposure to the external environment, depth of the wound, healing time period, potential risk of infections1. Two main processes are involved in wound healing: regeneration and repair. Regeneration involves the activation of stem cells capable of reconstituting the integrity of the tissue which will be indistinguishable from the tissue before the injury. Many strategies and products have been proposed in order to improve wound healing, reduce pain and morbidity for patients such as wound dressing, growth factors, skin substitutes, collagen dressing, topical insulin , the antioxidant, the hyperbaric chamber, etc. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was discovered in 1934 by Meyer and Palmer in bovine ocular vitreous. It is a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan that, by virtue of its viscosity, elasticity and other rheological properties, acts as an ocular lubricant and as a lubricating and shock-absorbing fluid in the joints. It is produced by fibroblasts within the cell membrane and then released into the extracellular space. Inside the skin, it plays an important role in hydrating the extracellular space; constitutes a matrix to support the normal functions of cells; it also has functions in space filling, lubrication, wound healing, modulation of inflammatory cells, and scavenging of free radicals. Due to its remarkable biomedical and tissue regeneration potential, HA is widely used in the treatment of wounds under different formulations such as gauzes, creams and gels4, showing significant clinical results.