Effects of an Arginine-Enriched Oral Nutritional Supplement on the Healing of Chronic Wounds in Non-Malnourished Patients; A Multicenter Case Series from the Netherlands and Hungary

Abstract

Aim: To explore the effects of a specific arginine-enriched oral nutritional supplement on the healing of chronic wounds in non-malnourished patients. Method: A case series using a prepared and Medically Ethically approved evaluation template. Out of three clinical centres in the Netherlands and one in Hungary, 27 patients with arterial leg ulcers, venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and pressure ulcers participated. They consumed a specific ready to drink arginine-enriched oral nutritional supplement daily, in addition to their regular diet and standard wound care, for a maximum of 12 weeks. Main outcome measures were wound healing progress, patients’ compliance and rating of the specific nutritional supplement. Results: Seventeen females and twelve males with a mean age of 73.7 years were included. Within 2 to 12 weeks, complete healing occurred in eight ulcers, thirteen ulcers showed clear signs of healing through decreased wound surface area ranging from 25% to 88% reduction, and three ulcers kept unchanged. Overall, the daily oral nutritional supplements, on average two servings per day (= 400 ml), were almost fully consumed (99.5%), and the patients’ rating of the oral nutritional supplement was good. Conclusion: Extra nutritional support with a specific ready to drink arginine-enriched oral nutritional supplement seems to be beneficial for the healing of different types of chronic wounds. The patients’ compliance with the product was very high, and they rated it as good. Further research, especially prospective randomised controlled studies on arginine-enriched oral nutritional supplements in patients with chronic wounds are necessary.