Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patients suffering with non-healing wounds continue to experience challenges accessing treatment two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As new variants of COVID-19 emerge, wound care providers across the United States are reporting a more than 50 percent increase in the severity of wounds. If left unaddressed, these non-healing wounds can have severe consequences including infection, sepsis, amputation, and even death. RedDress is battling this compounding issue researchers have dubbed “the pandemic within the pandemic” utilizing cutting-edge technology.
“COVID-19 really changed everything. Offices started to shut down, hospitals started to become extremely crowded. Elective surgery was stopped. Patients were not getting appropriate care,” said Dr. Robert Snyder, Dean of Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine in Miami, Florida.
At the onset of the pandemic, many services, procedures, and surgeries were deemed “non-essential” in wound care. [1]While the health care system has adapted to meet the needs of patients amidst the pandemic, many living with non-healing wounds have continued to experience challenges accessing health care. Patients have had to delay or cancel treatments – especially, those seeking preventative care.
The evolving COVID-19 pandemic has not only challenged patients’ access to health care, but also challenged the health care system’s capabilities. To ensure patients receive the proper care they need, the health care system must seek out new, advanced procedures. RedDress’ ActiGraft® system reactivates the body’s natural healing response and can be administered virtually anywhere. This quickly emerging biotechnology uses an autologous wound care solution that utilizes a patient’s own blood as a healing mechanism when applied to a wound site.
The adoption of more flexible, effective and affordable treatment options couldn’t come at a more critical time. One study found that diabetic patients were 10.8 times more likely to undergo any level of amputation and 12.5 times more likely to undergo a major amputation during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] ActiGraft can be administered at a patient’s bedside and requires less provider intervention during the treatment process, which means less risk of COVID-19 exposure.
“Patients with chronic wounds are unfortunately also suffering from other comorbid problems; they are a very-at risk population,” said Dr. Naz Wahab, MD., of Wound Care Experts in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The impact of an amputation on a patient – both physically and emotionally – cannot be understated. Frequently, patients with limb loss must battle post-amputation mortality rates that remain as high as 27.3% within 1 year, and 63.2% within 5 years following an amputation.[3],[4]
Wound care, in general, is often overlooked by the general population; the severity of non-healing wounds is often understated, even though non-healing wounds yield serious consequences if neglected.
“One of the biggest lessons that we have learned from the pandemic is that we cannot put wound care on the back burner again,” said Dr. Naz Wahab. “We do not want to continue to allow these people to suffer.”
About RedDress
RedDress (www.reddressmedical.com) is a privately held, Israel-based company with a U.S. subsidiary, RedDress Ltd., located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Founded in 2009 with the goal of developing more effective, natural, and economically viable treatments for chronic wounds, RedDress is committed to improving the health and lives of patients around the world with its latest innovation – ActiGraft®.
Press & Media Inquiries
Alessandra Lalli, RedDress
Investor Inquiries
Russell Lalli, RedDress
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ActiGraft® is a registered trademark of RedDress Ltd.
[1] Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders. March 2020. https://n2r8m7y5.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Alliance-of-Wound-Care-Stakeholders-Statement-on-Wound-Care-as-Essential.pdf
[2] Casciato DJ, Yancovitz S, Thompson J, et al. Diabetes-related major and minor amputation risk increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2020;3:20-224. doi: 10.7547/20-224.
[3] Armstrong DG, Swerdlow MA, Armstrong AA, Conte MS, Padula WV, Bus SA. Five-year mortality and direct costs of care for people with diabetic foot complications are comparable to cancer. J Foot Ankle Res 2020;13(1):16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-020-00383-2
[4] Meshkin DH, Zolper EG, Chang K, et al. Long-term mortality after nontraumatic major lower extremity amputation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2020;60(3):567-576.
