Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society
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Several recent advances in wound care may offer promise for the treatment of hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers. One such treatment is Apligraf (Graftskin), a bilayered, living human skin construct. To assess the economic impact of Graftskin, a model was constructed to compare the annual medical costs and cost-effectiveness of treating hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers with Graftskin vs. compression therapy using Unna's boot. ⋯ In addition, treatment with Graftskin led to approximately 3 more months in the healed state per person per year than did treatment with Unna's boot. Because patients treated with Graftskin experienced improved healing compared with those treated with compression therapy using Unna's boot, they required fewer months of treatment for unhealed ulcers. As a result, the use of Graftskin for treating hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers resulted in lower overall treatment costs.