10/12/2016    

PODIATRIC PRODUCTS IN THE NEWS

IN Podiatrist Estimates $65,000 Savings by Using Omega3-Rich Fish Skin for Wounds

 

Kerecis, a company using fish skin to heal human wounds and tissue damage, will present results of seven studies of its technology at the Symposium for the Advancement of Wound Care (SAWC) Fall meeting. One of the studies compared the cost of treating 27 diabetic foot ulcers with the Kerecis Omega3-rich, fish-skin graft with the cost of providing the standard-of-care treatment to the patient group. The study, which was conducted by podiatrist Dr. Chistopher Winters at the American Health Network in Indianapolis concluded that the fish-skin treatment saved an estimated $65,000.

 

Dr. Christopher Winters

 

Skin from animals is not an ideal substitute for the patient's skin because heavy processing is needed to eliminate the risk of disease transmission. This harsh, anti-viral treatment removes most of the material's natural components, reducing its effectiveness. Fish skin, however, does not need anti-viral treatment and is therefore much more similar in structure to human skin than the anti-viral-processed skin substitutes. Because there is no risk of disease transmission, fish skin is only minimally processed, retaining its similarity to human skin.