MD Podiatrist Discusses Amniotic Membrane Grafts

“They’re expensive, that’s for sure,” Dr. Michaels said. A graft can cost between $200 and $3,000 per square centimeter, he said. But experts say that demand could be poised to rise. The use of amniotic membrane grafts is growing, albeit slowly, Dr. Michaels said, because “medicine is, by its nature, conservative.”

When placed on difficult-to-heal wounds, amniotic membrane grafts seem to “change the nature of the wound,” said Dan Michaels, DPM, a podiatric surgeon and wound care specialist. They can trigger what he called a “histologic reboot,” priming even the most damaged tissue to heal.