M.A.I.D.: a prognostic score estimating probability of healing in chronic lower extremity wounds

To evaluate a wound-based prognostic score for chronic lower extremity wounds suitable for daily routine use capable of predicting long-term healing.

The main obstacle in the treatment of chronic wounds is to estimate long-term clinical outcome. For diabetic foot ulcers, several ulcer, and nonulcer-related risk factors associated with impaired healing have been described in the past.

A new chronic lower extremity ulcer score (M.A.I.D.) was created out of 4 clinically defined parameters, namely palpable pedal pulses (I), wound area (A), ulcer duration (D), and presence of multiple ulcerations (M). Palpable pedal pulses were categorized by the absence (scored as 1) or presence (scored as 0) of pedal pulses, while wounds >4 cm were scored as 1 and wounds < or = 4 cm as 0. Ulcers lasting more than 130 days were categorized as 1 and wounds with a duration of <130 days as 0. Patients with multiple ulcerations were graded as 1 (=1) compared with those with single ulcers (=0). M.A.I.D. was calculated by adding these separate scores to a theoretical maximum of 4.

Two thousand nineteen consecutive patients with 4004 wounds were included. When patients were divided into subgroups with the same M.A.I.D., we showed a decreasing probability of healing for ulcers with higher M.A.I.D. scores. An increase in the M.A.I.D. by 1 score-point reduced the chance for healing by 37%. Similarly, the higher the ulcer score, the larger the initial wound area, the longer the wound history, and the more likely the occurrence of soft-tissue infection during follow-up.

This new chronic lower extremity ulcer score is capable of anticipating long-term probability of healing by combining 4 clinically assessable parameters. However, adequate and standardized wound care is an indispensable prerequisite for M.A.I.D. to be a valid diagnostic tool in daily clinical routine.