Surgical Application of Viable Cryopreserved Placental Membrane for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds in 12 High-risk Patients.

Treatment of lower extremity ulcers remains a challenge to physicians and surgeons. These wounds lead to an increased risk of amputation and increased mortality rate and must be treated aggressively, in many cases requiring surgical debridement, to prevent these complications. The objective of this retrospective case series is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a viable cryopreserved placental membrane (vCPM) in 12 patients with 16 wounds of mixed etiologies when surgically debrided and augmented with vCPM 1 time, followed by standard of care (nonadherent dressing, gauze, and compression) until healed.

Sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the ankle: a controlled, randomized, double-blind pilot study.

Background: Intra-articular injections of hyaluronans have been shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. This pilot study was undertaken to gather preliminary data on the efficacy and safety of five weekly intra-articular injections of Hyalgan (sodium hyaluronate; molecular weight, 500 to 730 kDa) as compared with saline solution for the treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis of the ankle.

Methods: Twenty patients at two test sites were randomized with use of a double-blind (blinded observer), saline solution-controlled, parallel experimental design.