Chapter 31, Problem 1DAA

Cultured Skin for Healing Wounds Diabetes is a disorder in which the blood sugar level is not properly controlled. Among other effects, it reduces blood flow to the lower legs and feet. As a result, about 3 million diabetes patients have ulcers (open wounds that do not heal) on their feet. Each year, about 80,000 require amputations.

Several companies provide cultured cell products designed to promote the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. FIGURE 31.15 shows the results of a clinical experiment that tested the effect of one such cultured skin product versus standard treatment for diabetic foot wounds. Patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental treatment group or the control group, and their progress was monitored for 12 weeks.

FIGURE 31.15 Treatment of diabetic food ulcers. Results of a multicenter study of the effects of standard treatment versus use of a cultured cell product for diabetic foot ulcers. Bars show the percentage of foot ulcers that had completely healed.

What percentage of wounds had healed at 8 weeks when treated the standard way? When treated with cultured skin?

Summary Introduction

To determine: The percentage of wounds healed at 8 weeks when treated with standard treatment and when treated with cultured skin treatment.

Concept introduction: Diabetes is a group of disorders in which the body possesses high blood sugar level. This type of disease can lead to foot ulcers due to the decreased flow of blood into the legs and feet. They are caused when the nerves are damaged, which can lead to painless wounds that can ultimately cause ulcers that are the wounds that do not heal. Some experiments were conducted in order to heal the wounds. The patients were randomly treated using standard treatment and cultured skin treatment.

Explanation of Solution

Refer to Fig. 31.15, “Treatment of diabetic food ulcers”, in the textbook.  The bar graph shows an experiment that was conducted to heal the wounds of diabetic foot ulcers. It involved the participation of many patients who were randomly treated using standard treatment and cultured skin treatment, and their improvement was observed for about 12 weeks. According to the observations, a bar graph was plotted, which shows the percentage of wounds healed versus the number of weeks. Each bar represents the percentage of foot ulcers that had healed completely.  The orange color indicates the standard treatment, and green color indicates the cultured skin treatment.

The percentage of wounds healed at 8 weeks when treated with standard treatment was 24%. The percentage of wounds healed at 8 weeks when treated with cultured skin treatment was 45 %. The cultured skin treatment had a greater percentage when compared with the standard treatment.