Experience with a new human skin equivalent for healing venous leg ulcers.

Leg ulcers affect about 650,000 adults each year and in every setting--rural, urban, and both economically developed and impoverished areas. Both the physical and the psychologic aspects of treatment present challenges to the caregiver. The nurse must be aware of new techniques for treatment and be able to educate patients about potential modalities for healing. A human skin equivalent, Apligraf, will soon be available for treatment of these wounds. The results of controlled, multicenter studies indicate that human skin equivalent interacts with the patient's own cells, responds to individual wound characteristics, and promotes healing. The nursing professional can readily master the application technique and will find that this tissue-engineered skin product offers a new approach to wound management.