A Prospective Clinical Study Evaluating the Harvesting of Micografts

Millions of Americans suffer from acute and hard-to-heal chronic wounds. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 3% of the U.S. population over the age of 65 has an open wound. As the population ages in concert with an increased incidence of diabetes and obesity, the problem will intensify. A recent article suggests that the financial burden of wound care is approaching 100 billion dollars. Despite the gravity of the problem and the number of patients afflicted, open wounds can take weeks, months or even years to heal. The search for interventions that promote healing, reduce suffering and enhance quality of life continues as does the need to address the underlying issues that disrupt the wound healing process.

Countless hours are spent treating chronic wounds (diabetic ulcers, venous ulcers, pressure injuries). Called the "silent epidemic," chronic wounds often result in infection, disability and sometimes amputation.

Crafting a treatment plan that addresses the individual needs of each wound and each patient, hinges on managing the underlying issues that can disrupt healing and increase healthcare costs. Innovation in wound bed preparation and tissue regeneration bring new hope for these patients in the form of more effective wound closure, improved quality of life and reduced costs.

Autologous skin grafting is the gold standard for covering areas of skin loss.4 However, traditional grafting is limited by accessibility issues and donor site complications-pain, risk of infection, scarring.

ART (Autologous Regeneration of Tissue) is a revolutionary technology for harvesting skin without the drawbacks of conventional grafting. This innovative system allows the clinician to collect hundreds of microcolumns of full-thickness skin tissue and apply them directly to the wound site. It can all be done in an outpatient setting with minimized donor site concerns.

Inclusion criteria

Group A (Healthy Individuals)

• 18 years or older.
• Healthy participants without major diseases.

Group B (Subjects with Chronic Wounds)

• Participants presenting with chronic wound(s) present for a minimum of 4 weeks (eg. diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), venous leg ulcers (VLU), pressure ulcers (PrU), and other acceptable etiologies).
• 18 years or older.

Exclusion criteria

• Subject on an investigational drug or therapeutic device within 30 days of the study visit.
• Presence of a condition that PI considers will compromise the subject's ability to participate in the study.
• Known allergy to any of the dressings or their components.
• The subject has a history of excessive bleeding.
• The subject has a history of keloid formation.