Chemical Debridement and Leg Ulcers

February 23, 2026 updated by: DEBx Medical B.V.

A Pilot Study to Investigate the Relative Effectiveness and Safety of Chemical Wound Debridement and Curettage in the Treatment of Venous and Mixed Aetiology Leg Ulcers.

A pilot study to investigate the relative effectiveness and safety of chemical wound debridement and curettage in the treatment of venous and mixed aetiology leg ulcers.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A pilot study to investigate the relative effectiveness and safety of chemical wound debridement versus the curettage wound debridement in the treatment of venous and mixed aetiology leg ulcers in the United Kingdom

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
80

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
      • Eastbourne, United Kingdom
        • Pioneer wound healing and lymphedema centres

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants with a venous leg ulcer or mixed aetiology ulcer.
  • Duration of wound ≥ 6 weeks ≤ 5 years
  • Wound is ≥ 5 cm2 ≤ 200cm2
  • Presence of at least 25% visible slough within the wound bed
  • The Participant must be able to understand the study and provide written informed consent
  • No clinical signs of infection

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known hypersensitivity or contraindications to any of the wound treatments, dressings or compression bandaging to be used in the trial
  • Current local or systemic antibiotics in the week prior to inclusion
  • Clinically infected wound as determined by the presence of 3 or more of the following clinical signs: perilesional erythema, pain between two dressing changes, malodorous wound, abundant exudate and oedema
  • Prolonged treatment with immunosuppressive agents or high dose corticosteroids
  • Participants who have a current illness or condition which may interfere with wound healing in the last 30 days (carcinoma, connective tissue disease, autoimmune disease or alcohol or drug abuse)
  • Participants who have participated in a clinical trial on wound healing within the past month
  • Participants with a known history of non- adherence with medical treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Chemical Debridement
1 single treatment of chemical debridement will be applied in this arm at initiation visit. No repeated treatment done in this trial
Device: Chemical Debridement
The chemical debridement is a dehydrating agent in a gel shape that will dry out the woundbed and biofilm.
Active Comparator: Sharp debridement
In the control arm wound debridement by curettage will be performed at initiation visit and after 2 weeks when clinician deems this necessary, conform standard of care protocol
Device: Curettage debridement
The use of a currette will clean the wound bed. Debridement by mechanically removing the necrotic tissue and biofilm. This is performed confrom the standard of care standards.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Wound surface
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Change in wound surface area (cm^2)
12 weeks
Wound Debris
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Change in the percentage of the wound bed covered with slough
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Wound healing
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Number of healed wounds, according BWAT score ranging from 13 (minimal) - 65 (extreme severity)
12 weeks
wound condition
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Condition of the wound bed by percentage of granulation tissue, percentage covered in slough, exudate; Measured via visual assessment totalling up to 100% (e.g. 30% granulation, 25% slough, 25% necrosis, 20% exudate)
12 weeks
Quality of Life
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Health-related quality of life assessed using WoundQOL (an established validated questionair production a single number between 0-1 with 1 being the optimal quality of life)
12 weeks
Patient Comfort in treatment process
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Pain measured Participant pain measured using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0-10, 0 being painless and 10 being most pain to be imagined)
12 weeks
Device Safety
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Incidence of Treatment-related Adverse Events Incidence of Adverse Events of Special Interest
12 weeks
Treatment Comfort in performance and acceptance
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Participant and staff acceptance of the debridement methods by questionnaire. Score denoted in precentage with 100% being fully comfortable and accepted.
12 weeks
wound condition
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Condition of peri-ulcer skin and surrounding skin (healthy, bumpy, integrated, fragile))
12 weeks
wound condition
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Maloudour (yes, no);
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
DEBx Medical B.V.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 18, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 24, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 23, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 16, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 18, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 22, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 23, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • DCHEM2023_VLU

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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