The animal tranquilizer xylazine is increasingly found in the illicit opioid supply nationwide, leading to severe wounds among people who use drugs. New research led by a University of Pittsburgh physician-scientist and published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence seeks to understand the wound care experiences of this population. A cross-sectional survey of people who use drugs identified through three syringe service providers in Massachusetts found the vast majority had experienced xylazine wounds in the prior year.
As the need for comprehensive, low-barrier wound care grows, access to such care continues to lag behind the demand. As a result, these wounds often lead to serious complications, such as infections, or become chronic, non-healing wounds necessitating amputation. Of 171 individuals surveyed, 87% reported xylazine wounds.
Among people who inject drugs, those with xylazine wounds were 10 times more likely to engage in subcutaneous injection. Nearly three-quarters (74%) reported experiencing healthcare stigma when seeking wound care and more than half (58%) reported inadequate pain and withdrawal management. Patients with xylazine wounds often don't have access to low-barrier wound care services that would address their substance use.
When health systems do not respond to the rapidly changing drug supply, patients with xylazine wounds are forced to treat themselves." Raagini Jawa, M.D.
, M.P.H.
, Study Lead Author and UPMC Addiction Medicine and Infectious Diseases Physi.