Evaluation of acellular dermal matrix efficacy in immunocompromised patients' wounds: a retrospective matched-cohort study.

OBJECTIVE

The efficacy of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in immunocompromised patients' wounds has been little studied. The present study aimed to determine the wound healing effects of ADM in immunocompromised patients compared with patients with normal immune function.

METHOD: Between June 2015 and July 2020, medical records of patients treated with ADM for wounds were scrutinised in this retrospective cohort study. Patients exposed to immunosuppression were age- and wound area-matched to patients without immunosuppression. All wounds were treated with ADM without further surgical treatment.

RESULTS

The treatment cohort comprised 15 immunocompromised patients matched to 15 immunocompetent patients (the control cohort) by age and by wound area. The follow-up duration was 12 months. The mean period of re-epithelialisation in the treatment cohort was 7.067±1.067 weeks, which was not significantly different to 5.933±1.289 weeks in the control cohort (p=0.5037). A total of 29 wounds treated across both cohorts with the ADM showed healthy one-stage re-epithelialisation without noticeable complications during follow-up. Wound infection was detected in one immunocompromised patient in the treatment cohort.

CONCLUSION

In this study, immunosuppression did not significantly delay the wound healing induced by ADM. It can be concluded that ADM treatment is a promising approach for wound healing in immunocompromised patients.