Fish skin graft rapidly heals diabetic foot ulcer wounds, finds study

USA: Acellular fish skin graft promotes wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), finds a recent study published in the journal Wounds. According to the study, DFU patients who received the graft experienced a rapid increase in wound healing during the initial 4 weeks following graft application.

"This review of the literature indicates that skin graft encourages wound healing by enabling the wound transition from chronic to acute stage of healing," wrote the authors.

According to WHO, the South-East Asia (SEA) Region is home to 26% of the world’s population with 44% burden of TB incidence. In 2017, an estimated 4.4 million people fell ill with TB and an estimated 638 000 died because of the disease which is more than half of global TB deaths. Six out of the 30 high TB (and MDR-TB) burden countries are in the SEA Region: Bangladesh, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Due to this large patient population, diabetic wounds have become a growing problem and the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers creates a large financial burden in India annually. Therefore, extensive research in the treatment of DFUs is necessary to provide the most beneficial and cost-effective care.

The retrospective study by Shannon Michael, St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, IN, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of acellular fish skin graft for the treatment of full-thickness diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The primary objective was to calculate the total wound surface area (cm²) healed over a 16-week period. The secondary objective was to provide a systematic review on acellular fish skin grafts.

The study involved 51 patients with a total of 58 DFUs treated with an acellular fish skin graft. The initial wound surface area at first application was compared with the final wound surface area to conclude the percentage of total wound healed over a 16-week treatment period.

Key findings of the study include:

• At 16 weeks, there was a mean reduction of wound surface area by 87.57% and 35 wounds (60.34%) fully healed.


• The systematic literature review included 10 fish graft articles, 3 of which specifically evaluated lower extremity ulcers.


• The reviewed studies supported improved wound healing with fish graft application, with benefits noted in dentistry, neurology, and wound care.

"The results of this 3-year retrospective study support increased wound healing rates with the use of acellular fish skin graft for treatment of DFUs," concluded the authors.

The study, "Acellular Fish Skin Graft Use for Diabetic Lower Extremity Wound Healing: A Retrospective Study of 58 Ulcerations and a Literature Review," is published in the journal Wounds.

Journal Information: Wounds