There are no safety or absorption studies to guide topical timolol therapy for treatment of chronic wounds. This study was undertaken to address this gap.
Approach:
A prospective, observational, cross-sectional comparative study of timolol plasma levels in patients after topical administration to a chronic wound, compared with levels in patients after timolol ocular administration for the indication of glaucoma.
Results:
There was no statistically significant difference in the average plasma level of timolol in wound as compared with glaucoma patients. No bradycardia or wheezing was observed after administration.
Innovation:
We determined the single time point concentration of timolol in plasma 1 h after application of timolol 0.5% gel-forming solution to debrided chronic wounds, providing insight as to the safety of this emerging off-label treatment.
Conclusion:
The topical application of timolol for chronic wounds shares the same safety profile as the widely used application of ocular administration for glaucoma.
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