Evaluation of Debrisan in the treatment of chronic leg ulcers

Seventeen patients with chronic leg ulcers of a 14-week mean duration were treated with daily application of Debrisan (hydrophilic microspheres of crosslinked dextran). Clean granulation tissue was present in the ulcer floor after a mean period of three weeks of treatment, and healing (with or without skin grafting) was achieved in a mean period of 9.5 weeks in 15 patients, including eight patients whose chronic leg ulcers had been refractory to all previous treatment measures. Debrisan effectively desloughs moist exudative ulcers, and allows early skin grafting.