Clinical Application of Delayed Time Release PDGF- Carboxymethyl cellulose gel in Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using Transforming Powder Dressing as a Delivery Vehicle

PDGF- Carboxymethyl cellulose gel has been commercially available to be applied to Diabetic Foot Ulcers and has been shown effective.  To use PDGF- Carboxymethyl cellulose gel, the patient’s Diabetic Foot Ulcer has to be accessible for daily application. Offloading would then be removable to allow daily application of the PDGF gel and the wound redressed.  Contact casting is applied weekly and studies demonstrate its effectiveness.  Contact Casting is considered to be the gold standard for offloading DFUs by many. Given the weekly application of contact casting and the daily application of PDGF- Carboxymethyl cellulose gel, the two modalities would appear incompatible for combined use in treating patients with DFUs. The ability to form a customizable dressing with delayed release capabilities to deliver PDGF to the wound is desireable.  The fact that the material will release PDGF to the wound in a constant and consistent manner for the weekly duration of the cast application is an advantage.  Our preliminary experience with weekly application of PDGF in combination with Transforming Powder and Contact Casting is reported.  This is particularly of interest given recent lab data demonstrating that the PDGF is released from the material in a constant and consistent manner suitable for weekly application. Cost savings and improved outcomes may be a result of this method of use.