AMNIOTIC MEMBRANE APPLICATION AS AN ADJUVANT OF HEALING IN CHRONIC NON-HEALING ULCERS

ABOUT THE BOOKChronic ulcers or non-healing ulcers are defined as spontaneous or traumatic lesions mostly in lower extremities that are unresponsive to initial therapy or that persist despite appropriate care and do not proceed towards healing in a defined time period with an underlying aetiology that may be related to systemic diseases or local disorders. There are many types of non-healing ulcers that may include venous arterial diabetic pressure and traumatic ulcers. The normal wound healing process is dynamic and complex having three phases: inflammation tissue formation and tissue remodeling. However if the normal healing process is interrupted an ulcer can become chronic in nature due to lack of growth factors and cytokines which delay the healing process. It is estimated that almost 10% of the population develop a chronic wound in the course of a lifetime with wound-related mortality rate of 2.5%. It causes considerable difficulty and subsequently disability - hampering quality of life. A real challenge indeed. Despite treatment many chronic ulcers fail to heal or persist for months/years and/or recur after healing requiring additional advanced wound care therapies for adequate healing. Cellular therapy for the treatment of non-healing ulcers has been a major breakthrough in the arena of vascular therapies. Amniotic membrane (AM) is a tissue of particular interest as a biological dressing and it has well-documented re-epithelialization effects which are in part related to its capacity to synthesize and release biological active factors. Amniotic Membrane (AM) dressing is effective not only for reduction of ulcer dimensions but also effective with respect to final outcome and healing.ABOUT THE AUTHORDr Saumen Kumar De MBBS (Calcutta University) DNB-PMR (NBE-New Delhi) MPhil in Regenerative Medicine and Translational Sciences (WBUHS) CBET-USG (WBUHS) Fellowship in Pain Management-FIPM (WBUHS) CCEBDM CCCMD ACMDC (PHFI) is at present working as Associate Professor Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) NRS Medical College & Hospital Kolkata. He is a doctor by profession but academician and researcher by passion.