Real-world clinical evaluation of Zymalge® gel for optimizing wound bed prior to skin grafting or spontaneous healing: a retrospective single-arm cohort study

Background Chronic wound healing is a major surgical problem in clinical practice that affects patient’s quality of life. Studies have shown multiple different products to enhance and accelerate this process. Objectives A locally available topical gel, Zymalge gel ® , is a combination of hyaluronic acid, alginate, antimicrobial enzymes, and moisturizing agents for use in wound dressings. This study evaluates healing clinical outcomes and safety associated with its use in promoting wound healing. Methods This is a retrospective single-arm cohort study of patients with chronic, surgical, or burn wounds that presented to a plastic surgery clinic in Damietta, Egypt. We included 50 patients who used Zymalge gel ® for their wound dressings. Results The median patients age (first quartile (Q1), third quartile (Q3)) was 50 (37, 56.25) years. 56% of participants had a history of chronic medical illness, and 48% were smokers. Wound types were 22% surgical, 22% chronic, and 12% were burn wounds. Median (Q1, Q3) wound sizes were 20 (9.75, 36.25) cm². Complete healing outcomes were observed in 62% of patients with no need for grafts or flaps, where 38% were ready to graft wounds with healthy granulation tissue. There were no reported local or systemic adverse effects associated with the use of the gel. Larger wound size was significantly associated with delayed healing (Hazard Ratio = 0.97, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.95–0.99, P = 0.002). Conclusions Based on the available data, we conclude that Zymalge gel® was associated with favorable wound-healing outcomes and a good safety profile across chronic, surgical, or burn wounds, particularly for complex or slow-healing wounds encountered in tertiary outpatient settings. Further multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trials are required to compare it with other local wound care treatments and assess its efficacy.