A pair of retrospective studies of an Integra LifeSciences (NSDQ:IART) wound-healing matrix showed positive clinical and economic results, the company announced on Friday.
The studies looked at the results of complex lower extremity reconstruction using Integra’s bilayer wound matrix. The data were published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The bilayer wound-healing matrix is formulated to provide an environment where the body can rebuild the layers of the skin to support the healing process, according to Princeton, N.J.-based Integra.
The first clinical publication showed 70% of the wounds successfully salvaged at 180 days, allowing the authors to identify success factors across patient selection and wound types.
The second publication reviewed cost and resource use, comparing Integra’s bilayer wound matrix to local tissue rearrangement (LTR) and free flap (FF) tissue transplantation. This study showed significantly longer surgery time at 85 and 408 minutes for LTR and FF respectively, compared with 50 minutes for the Integra matrix.
It also reported more than double the length of stay in the hospital for both LTR and FF versus the Integra matrix. Lastly, total cost of the surgery was $53,492 for FF, $35,220 for LTR and $34,877 for the Integra product, the company noted. Given the shorter operating time and the potential lower cost, Integra bilayer wound matrix may represent an opportunity for patients, surgeons and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the company.
The lower costs for procedures involving the Integra product could also be a boost for the company, which posted a nearly 72% profit slide for the three months ended March 31, 2020, due to the reduction of elective procedures during the pandemic.
Two plastic surgeons from the University of Pennsylvania Health System presented the data in a company webinar last week.
“Lower extremity reconstruction can be challenging and costly for both the patient and health care system,” said Dr. Stephen J. Kovach in a news release. “Our goal is to choose an appropriate treatment algorithm, including dermal constructs, that restores function while providing economic benefits.”
“In complex lower extremity reconstruction, no approach is completely effective in all situations and contexts, and our recent publications highlight the key scenarios where skin substitutes can be optimally positioned for maximal clinical success,” added Dr. John P. Fischer, director of clinical research at University of Pennsylvania Health System. “Our findings identify key relative advantages with respect to operative efficiency and hospital utilization that align with current issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
