Rapid Healing of Venous Ulcers and Lack of Clinical Rejection With an Allogeneic Cultured Human Skin Equivalent

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Abstract
VENOUS ulcers are chronic wounds associated with long-standing venous hypertension of the lower extremities.1-4 The number of individuals affected by these ulcers in the United States is greater than 600000, a figure likely to be an underestimate in view of our increasing elderly population.5 While venous ulcers are not a cause of limb loss, they are a major cause of morbidity, and their care is costly. They necessitate frequent visits to physicians and by visiting nurses, cause loss of productivity in the young and increased frailty in the elderly, require patients to deal with bulky and malodorous dressings, and commonly lead to hospitalization for often life-threatening cellulitis. The impact of these and other complications of venous ulcers on overall health and quality of life is only beginning to be appreciated.6