Clinical Service
Customwound Biofilm Management
Complex, nonhealing wounds require a targeted approach to microbial burden, biofilm, and impaired tissue repair. Our pharmacists interpret wound diagnostics and collaborate with providers to inform individualized antimicrobial strategies and support the wound-healing process.
What is the Customwound Clinical Service?
The Customwound Clinical Service is a targeted approach to managing biofilm-based wound infections. Chronic wounds that fail to heal are often harboring a biofilm, a protective matrix that shields bacteria from antibiotics and the immune system. Our service addresses this barrier directly.
Using molecular diagnostics, our pharmacists identify the specific pathogens present in the wound and provide clinical interpretation to guide treatment. This allows for a precise, personalized topical antibiotic prescription, compounded in an anti-biofilm base, to clear the infection and prepare the wound bed for healing.
How it works
Our PharmD i3 process (Identify, Interpret, Intervene) guides every clinical service engagement:
- Identify: Molecular diagnostics pinpoint the specific bacteria and resistance genes present in the wound.
- Interpret: Our pharmacists provide clinical interpretation of diagnostic results to support your provider.
- Intervene: A personalized TargetedRx topical antibiotic is compounded in an anti-biofilm base to treat the identified infection.
Who is this service for?
This service is designed for patients and providers managing:
- Chronic non-healing wounds
- Pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, or venous leg ulcers
- Wounds with confirmed or suspected biofilm-based infection
- Recurrent wound infections that have not responded to standard antibiotic therapy
What is a chronic wound?
A wound is any break in the skin or deep tissue. Normally the skin heals quickly on its own. Wounds that don't heal easily are called chronic wounds. They require special care to heal. Chronic wounds can result from:
- Skin that breaks down when there's too much pressure over a bony area (pressure ulcers)
- Injury to the feet or legs from poor circulation (arterial or venous ulcers)
- Loss of circulation and feeling due to diabetes (diabetic ulcers)
Why isn't my wound healing faster?
Bacteria (germs) can slow healing. With open wounds, it's easy for common bacteria from your skin to get inside. This is called contamination, which can sometimes lead to infection, meaning the bacteria are reproducing and invading the soft tissue and preventing healing.
If your provider suspects an infection, they will swab the wound and send it to a lab to identify which bacteria have overgrown. Bacteria are often protected by biofilm, making the infection more difficult to treat until the biofilm is removed. Other factors that slow wound healing include:
- Poorly balanced healing proteins in the wound bed (MMPs)
- Poor nutrition, smoking, or obesity
- Certain diseases, such as diabetes or diseases of the liver, kidney, or lungs
- Certain treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation
Biofilms are identified in greater than 80% of biopsies of chronic wounds but only 6% of acute wounds. Biofilms are highly tolerant to antibiotics. Antibiotics only kill metabolically active bacteria.
Malone, et al. Prevalence of Biofilms in Chronic Wounds: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Published Data. J Wound Care. 2016; 25:12, 1-12
Chronic wounds harboring persistent biofilm take two to four times longer to heal compared to wounds without biofilm. When biofilm is not identified and addressed, standard wound care protocols fail to interrupt the cycle of infection, inflammation, and tissue breakdown that prevents closure.
Wolcott RD, Dowd SE. The role of biofilms: are we hitting the right target? Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;127 Suppl 1:28S–35S. doi:10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181fbe24b
Chronic wounds affect an estimated 6.5 million patients in the United States each year, costing the healthcare system over $25 billion annually. Biofilm-driven treatment failure and recurrence are among the primary contributors to this burden, as wounds that do not respond to standard antibiotic therapy continue to consume resources without resolving.
Sen CK, et al. Human skin wounds: a major and snowballing threat to public health and the economy. Wound Repair Regen. 2009;17(6):763–771. doi:10.1111/j.1524-475X.2009.00543.x
BioFactor Wound Hygiene Program
The BioFactor Wound Hygiene Program offered at Customedico Pharmacy + Wellness is a comprehensive, on-going initiative to remove and prevent biofilms, treat an infection with a topical TargetedRx, and restore any imbalance to the microenvironment.
Learn MoreConnect with us
Customicro Clinical Services is partnered with Customedico Pharmacy + Wellness, an independently owned compounding pharmacy dedicated to the provision of personalized medications to meet the unique needs of our patients.
Reach out to learn how Customicro Clinical Services can support your patients.
10900 N. Scottsdale Rd #403, Scottsdale, AZ 85254
480-946-1345
