Kent Hospital’s Lisa Gould, MD, PhD, FACS, medical director of the Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, has published a clinical research study in the distinguished Journal of the American College of Surgeons exploring new treatments in healing skin graft wounds.

Patients who are treated with skin grafts (the transplantation of new skin to areas damaged by burns or traumatic injury) may experience considerable pain, fluid loss, infections, significant scarring and delayed healing. Gould’s research compared the effects of noncontact, low-frequency ultrasound (MIST Therapy) plus standard care to standard care alone, in subjects with split thickness donor sites.

The study, “A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Effects of Noncontact Low Frequency Ultrasound to Standard care in Healing Split Thickness Donor Sites,” measured time to healing, pain and itching scores, and wound recurrence.

All patients who had MIST Therapy combined with standard care were fully healed by four weeks compared to only 71 percent in standard care alone. The average healing time was 12 days for patients treated with MIST Therapy combined with standard care, compared to 21 days for those treated with standard care alone. Fewer patients were treated for suspected infection, pain scores were reduced and significant differences in itching were observed in the MIST Therapy group. In addition, the MIST Therapy group remained healed with a recurrence rate of only eight percent at the six week follow up visit compared to 45 percent in the standard care group.

“Skin graft donor sites are notoriously painful with potential complications of delayed healing and infection. In this population rapid healing is critical to reducing morbidity and cost,” said study investigator Gould in a release. “Given the remarkable results from this study, MIST Therapy should be considered for treatment of acute surgical skin graft donor sites, particularly in subjects who are at higher risk for surgical site infections or delayed healing.”

Gould, of Warwick, is a board certified plastic surgeon and is a nationally recognized researcher and educator. Gould is an affiliate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida. Prior to her arrival at Kent, she was co-director of the University of South Florida Plastic Surgery Research Laboratory in Tampa, FL. She also served as staff surgeon at James A. Haley VA Hospital, where she was chief of plastic surgery from 2007-2010. Last spring, Dr. Gould was named president of the Wound Healing Society, a national premier scientific organization focused on wound healing.

Gould served on the executive board of the Wound Healing Society for more than ten years and chaired its Education Committee for six years. She has authored publications such as The Wound Healing Society’s Guidelines for the Treatment of Pressure Ulcers, Guidelines for the Treatment of Venous Ulcers, Guidelines for the Prevention of Pressure Ulcers, and Guidelines for the Prevention of Venous Ulcers. Gould was instrumental in creating the Basics of Wound Care Course, a regular feature at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care, the nation’s largest wound care conference.

The Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Kent focuses on patient and primary care involvement, promoting healing of diabetic, venous and pressure ulcers, ostomy problems, and other chronic and acute wounds. Utilizing advanced therapies and dressings, the center is a 24/7, nationally accredited hyperbaric oxygen therapy suite, with a multidisciplinary team of certified physicians and clinicians. The center’s goal is to speed healing, avoid amputations and return patients to an active and fulfilling life. For more information, call 736-4646.