Short-Term Safety and Performance of Two Wound Dressings Evaluation

A Post-Market Clinical Follow-Up Study to Evaluate Short-Term Safety and Performance of POLTX_Fiber Compared With Suprasorb Liquacel Pro in Chronic Wounds

Chronic wounds, including venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and pressure ulcers, are defined as wounds that fail to heal within 4-8 weeks despite appropriate care. They represent a significant health burden due to prolonged healing, risk of infection, recurrence, and impact on quality of life and healthcare costs. Their development is multifactorial and often linked to vascular impairments, which reduce oxygen and nutrient supply. This leads to impaired tissue repair, persistent inflammation, and increased susceptibility to infection.

Standard treatment includes wound debridement, infection control, maintaining a moist environment, and managing pain and exudate. POLTX_Fiber is an absorbent gelling fiber dressing designed to improve moisture balance, manage exudate, and reduce bacterial load, with established safety and CE marking.

A post-market clinical follow-up study will compare POLTX_Fiber with Suprasorb® Liquacel Pro over a 30-day period in an outpatient setting. The study evaluates wound healing, infection status, usability, pain, and patient satisfaction. It is conducted in accordance with EU and Swiss regulations, ensures qualified investigators, and considers sex and gender differences in the analysis.

Chronic wounds, including venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and pressure ulcers, represent a growing healthcare burden, associated with delayed healing, high recurrence rates, and reduced quality of life. Their pathophysiology is multifactorial, involving impaired perfusion, dysregulated inflammation, and bacterial colonization, all of which contribute to prolonged healing.

Effective wound management requires control of exudate, maintenance of a moist wound environment, and management of microbial burden. Absorbent gelling fiber dressings are commonly used for this purpose; however, comparative clinical evidence between available products remains limited.

POLTX_Fiber is a CE-marked absorbent gelling fiber dressing intended to support exudate management and wound healing. Additional clinical data are needed to further evaluate its performance under routine clinical conditions, in line with post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF) requirements under Regulation (EU) 2017/745.

This study aims to evaluate the clinical performance and safety of POLTX_Fiber in patients with chronic wounds in an outpatient setting, compared with a standard gelling fiber dressing. The primary objective is to assess changes in wound surface area over a 30-day treatment period. Secondary objectives include evaluation of wound condition, patient outcomes, and device usability.

This is a multicenter, non-randomized, controlled, open-label PMCF study conducted in outpatient care. Eligible patients will receive either POLTX_Fiber or a comparator dressing as part of routine clinical practice.

Inclusion Criteria:

Age ≥ 18 years Chronic wound of 4 weeks to 2 years in duration Moderate to highly exuding wound (clinician-assessed) Wound area 2-50 cm² after debridement Able and willing to provide informed consent and comply with study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

Known hypersensitivity to study or comparator dressing components Clinically infected wound requiring systemic antibiotics at baseline Necrotic wound (>25% necrotic tissue) or malignant wound Severe arterial insufficiency (ABI < 0.5) Pregnant or breastfeeding Severe comorbid condition likely to interfere with wound healing or safety evaluation (e.g., end-stage renal disease, active cancer on chemotherapy, immunosuppression) Participation in another interventional study within 30 days Use of investigational wound products within 30 days Cognitive or psychiatric condition limiting consent or compliance Unable to attend follow-up visits or likely to relocate during the study period Any condition that, in the investigator's judgment, may compromise safety or study integrity