Standard Compression Therapy With/Without Application of Skin Allograft (Theraskin) for Venous Leg Ulcer Treatment

Given the propensity for venous leg ulcers to become refractory, long standing wounds, incorporating active biologic grafts into the standard compression therapy, may prove to accelerate wound healing. The two treatments to be compared in this study are both commonly used for the treatment of venous leg ulcers. Compression therapy has long been the standard for the treatment of venous leg ulcers. Standard Compression therapy consists of wound debridement, application of non adherent dressings and a three or four layer compression dressing. (PROFORE Multi-Layer Compression Bandage System) TheraSkin is a split thickness skin graft harvested within 24 hours postmortem, from an organ donor who has cleared the standard safety screenings. It is classified by the FDA as a donated tissue. Once harvested, the graft is sanitized according to FDA specifications, and cryopreserved, until it is delivered to the clinic for application to the foot ulcer. It is also a widely used treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. TREATMENT RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY Chronic wounds of the lower extremities affect a substantial proportion of the population. Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) account for up to 90% of lower extremity wounds. The standard of care for treatment of VLU's in wound centers in the United States is Standard Compression therapy as described above, which may be combined with biologic graft materials applied to the wound bed. This study may assist physicians who treat VLU's by comparing efficacy and costs of two common treatments for VLU's in a prospective randomized clinical trial. The investigation will be a head-to-head study comparing widely used human skin allograft (Theraskin) along with Standard Compression Therapy vs Standard Compression Therapy alone. There is no randomized, prospective data comparing these two options in the treatment of VLU. Compression is superior to no compression and increases VLU healing rates. It is currently the mainstay of treatment for venous ulcers of the lower extremities. It is important to consider the underlying pathophysiology of these wounds. A history of deep vein thrombosis is regarded as a predisposing factor to venous insufficiency, and hence venous ulceration. Venous insufficiency is associated with increased hydrostatic pressure in the veins of the leg (Moffatt 207). External compression attempts to reverse this and aids venous return