A clinical observation evaluation of bioactive soluble beta-glucan gel compared with standard care.

OBJECTIVE: Clinicians across all health-care settings are challenged daily by wounds that are slow or static in healing due to time constraints, reduced resources and the negative impact upon the patient's quality of life (QoL). Community settings are particularly challenging due to the varied environments, patient social, psychological and financial constraints, and multi-clinician wound care monitoring. The aim of this clinical evaluation is to clinically evaluate bioactive soluble beta-glucan gel (BSBG) on those wounds that have stalled at four weeks as an adjunct to normal standards of care.

METHOD: A clinical observational evaluation was undertaken within a large community setting, reviewing patients who self-presented with stalled healing/chronic wounds, and the effects upon adding a BSBG gel twice a week for eight weeks as part of their set standard care. Formulary cleansing and dressing products were continued and results monitored by a designated clinician. All data was collected as part of the patient's normal wound review routine in relation to primary outcome of wound reduction with secondary outcomes relating to pain reduction, slough and necrosis reduction, exudate reduction and adverse events.

RESULTS: At six months, analysis of data demonstrated >2-times a higher rate of healing in chronic wounds with eight weeks' initial treatment and >4-times a higher rate of healing over six months in those patients with ulceration (PU, VLU, DFU). A reduction of per patient care cost saving was achieved across the treatment group compared with the standard care retrospective group.

CONCLUSION: The administration of a wound healing gel within a moderate size cohort of patients presenting with chronic wounds resulted in improved wound reduction and significant cost savings.