An innovative treatment for non-healing chronic wounds could lead to significant improvements in healing time and pain reduction, according to new advice from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Patients treated with Granulox saw their wound size reduced by between 49% and 102% on average after 4 weeks.1 Studies also found average pain scores fell by between 49% and 78% in one group of patients.2
Commenting on the NICE Medtech Innovation Briefing, Luxmi Dhoonmoon, Tissue Viability Nurse Consultant, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Wound care services have been under pressure for some years now, with increasing numbers of patients requiring care, and that was before the pandemic struck. So, innovations that can support us in the care we give patients, such as Granulox, are welcome. This NICE MIB for Granulox provides the wider health care community managing wounds with clear advice on how the product can improve the standard of care for those with non-healing chronic wounds.
“Quicker healing rates, and reduced pain are obviously hugely beneficial to patients. But they also have benefit in potentially freeing up time for the HCPs who deliver care, which helps all patients and also benefits the NHS more widely, by reducing demand on hard-pressed services.”
The results, published by NICE in a new Medtech Innovation Briefing (MIB296), relate to Granulox, Mölnlycke’s innovative topical haemoglobin spray which facilitates oxygen diffusion for the treatment of chronic wounds, including diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure ulcers.
When Granulox is sprayed on a wound after cleansing and debridement and before a dressing is applied, highly purified haemoglobin is released. This binds with oxygen from the environment and diffuses through the exudate to supply oxygen to the base of the wound, supporting wound healing and improving patient outcomes.
Studies report that using Granulox results in shorter healing time and reduced pain scores compared with standard of care. There is also a potential cost benefit of use, as an unhealed wound can end up costing between £831 and £7,886 per person, per year.3 Reducing the length of time it takes to heal a wound could result in a resource and/or cost saving for the NHS.
The topical haemoglobin spray is used prior to a dressing, and it can be applied in various settings including GP surgeries, hospitals and even in people’s homes. It doesn’t require additional or specialist equipment or specialist training for use, unlike other oxygen therapies. It can be used by tissue viability nurses, podiatrists, GPs, hospital clinicians as well as by patients and carers at home.
Granulox is intended to be used alongside current treatment for people with non-healing chronic wounds that have not responded to standard care.
References
1. Granulox for managing chronic non-healing wounds (10/05/2022) NICE Medtech Innovation Briefing p7 – found at https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib296
2. Granulox for managing chronic non-healing wounds (10/05/2022) NICE Medtech Innovation Briefing p7 – found at https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib296
3. Guest JF, Fuller GW, Vowden P. Cohort study evaluating the burden of wounds to the UK’s National Health Service in 2017/2018: update from 2012/2013. BMJ Open 2020;10:e045253. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045253
