The Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System has been chosen as the first in the nation to receive a new wound-management product.
The Actigraft Pro system being delivered to the Los Angeles veterans hospital was developed by RedDress Medical.
The original ActiGraft product is already available in more than 40 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Mexico and Ireland.
RedDress Medical, which is based in Israel with a U.S. subsidiary in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., plans to make ActiGraft Pro commercially available to the public by the fall of this year.
ActiGraft Pro is an FDA-cleared wound-management system that produces in vitro blood clots from a patient’s own blood. Once applied, the autologous blood clot serves as a protective covering and initiates wound-healing processes — which naturally occur in the human body — giving diabetics, senior citizens, and others dealing with chronic wounds or healing deficiencies a viable, natural option to heal properly, according to a release from the company.
ActiGraft Pro’s key differences from the original ActiGraft include fewer vials required for blood-clot activation, a quicker clot coagulation time — five minutes — and needleless blood transfer to improve safety for clinicians. This will allow wounds to be treated faster, safer and more efficiently, according to the company.
Robert Mueller, general manager of RedDress, said the company has an opportunity to bring real change to wound management.
“As we prepare ActiGraft Pro for its release to the Los Angeles VA in the coming weeks, we take much pride in knowing some of the first patients to be treated with our new wound care system are our nation’s veterans,” Mueller said in a statement.
While RedDress’s original ActiGraft wound-care systems have been used at the Los Angeles veteran’s hospital since November to specifically treat patients with diabetic foot ulcers, the staff there will use the latest version to help patients with festering injuries.
Jessica O’Connell, chief of surgery and co-investigator at the hospital, called ActiGraft a viable and important adjunct in the management of difficult-to-treat diabetic foot ulcers.
“The preparation and application of ActiGraft to diabetic foot ulcers helps patients directly visualize the healing process as the blood patch is formed and applied to their wound,” O’Connell said. “This helps patients gain ownership of their wound care and self-investment in their wound outcome.”
Added Jesus Ulloa, acting chief of vascular surgery and principal investigator at Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles (VAGLA) Healthcare System: “We’ve been using and advocating for ActiGraft since last year when we first started using it at the VAGLA to help our patients heal and recover more efficiently, and we need more innovative medical tools like this.”
Last year, RedDress’s original ActiGraft system was recognized as one of the year’s Top 10 Innovations trade journal “Podiatry Today.” ActiGraft has also been selected by the editorial board of Wound Management and Prevention Magazine as one of the Top Innovations of 2022.
