A Comprehensive Review of Wound Healing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raman Mehrzad ◽  
Paul Y Liu

Unhealed wounds are a largely hidden epidemic, affecting 6.5 million Americans and costing about $25 billion a year, with numerous patients affected. Unhealed wounds result in lower quality of life and limit many all-day activities for patients. Despite this large socioeconomic burden, there have been only a few meaningful advances in the science of wound care. Wounds represent a cross section of many medical disciplines—diabetes, trauma, hypertension, vascular insufficiency, and rheumatologic diseases—and a multidisciplinary approach is typically needed. In this review, we provide an overview of wound healing, its pathophysiology, different types of wounds, and the current state of therapeutic art.   Key words: chronic wounds, infection, inflammation, mathematical modeling, ulcers, wounds

Author(s):  
Davide Vincenzo Verdolino ◽  
Helen A. Thomason ◽  
Andrea Fotticchia ◽  
Sarah Cartmell

Chronic wounds represent an economic burden to healthcare systems worldwide and a societal burden to patients, deeply impacting their quality of life. The incidence of recalcitrant wounds has been steadily increasing since the population more susceptible, the elderly and diabetic, are rapidly growing. Chronic wounds are characterised by a delayed wound healing process that takes longer to heal under standard of care than acute (i.e. healthy) wounds. Two of the most common problems associated with chronic wounds are inflammation and infection, with the latter usually exacerbating the former. With this in mind, researchers and wound care companies have developed and marketed a wide variety of wound dressings presenting different compositions but all aimed at promoting healing. This makes it harder for physicians to choose the correct therapy, especially given a lack of public quantitative data to support the manufacturers’ claims. This review aims at giving a brief introduction to the clinical need for chronic wound dressings, focusing on inflammation and evaluating how bio-derived and synthetic dressings may control excess inflammation and promote healing.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 540-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukie Mori ◽  
Gojiro Nakagami ◽  
Aya Kitamura ◽  
Takeo Minematsu ◽  
Mikio Kinoshita ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinchi Feng ◽  
Jinsong Hao

: Chronic wounds remain a significant public problem and the development of wound treatments has been a research focus for the past few decades. Despite advances in the products derived from endogenous substances involved in a wound healing process (e.g. growth factors, stem cells, and extracellular matrix), effective and safe wound therapeutics are still limited. There is an unmet need to develop new therapeutics. Various new pathways and targets have been identified and could become a molecular target in designing novel wound agents. Importantly, many existing drugs that target these newly identified pathways could be repositioned for wound therapy, which will facilitate fast translation of research findings to clinical applications. This review discusses the newly identified pathways/targets and their potential uses in the development of wound therapeutics. Some herbs and amphibian skins have been traditionally used for wound repairs and their active ingredients have been found to act in these new pathways. Hence, screening these natural products for novel wound therapeutics remains a viable approach. The outcomes of wound care using natural wound therapeutics could be improved if we can better understand their cellular and molecular mechanisms and fabricate them in appropriate formulations, such as using novel wound dressings and nano-engineered materials. Therefore, we also provide an update on the advances in the wound therapeutics from natural sources. Overall, this review offers new insights into novel wound therapeutics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Banasiewicz ◽  
Rolf Becker ◽  
Adam Bobkiewicz ◽  
Marco Fraccalvieri ◽  
Wojciech Francuzik ◽  
...  

Recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic leading to a rapidly increasing number of hospitalizations enforced reevaluation of wound management strategies. The optimal treatment strategy for patients with chronic wounds and those recovering from emergency and urgent oncological surgery should aim to minimize the number of hospital admissions, as well as the number of surgical procedures and decrease the length of stay to disburden the hospital staff and to minimize viral infection risk. One of the potential solutions that could help to achieve these goals may be the extensive and early use of NPWT devices in the prevention of wound healing complications. Single-use NPWT devices are helpful in outpatient wound treatment and SSI prevention (ciNPWT) allowing to minimize in-person visits to the health care center while still providing the best possible wound-care. Stationary NPWT should be used in deep SSI and perioperative wound healing disorders as soon as possible. Patient’s education and telemedical support with visual wound healing monitoring and video conversations have the potential to minimize the number of unnecessary in-person visits in patients with wounds and therefore substantially increase the level of care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isadora Pombeiro ◽  
João Moura ◽  
Maria Graça Pereira ◽  
Eugénia Carvalho

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a major complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of lower limb amputation. Interventions to reduce psychological stress may have the potential to improve self-care and greatly reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with DFU. This review is focused on the consequences of psychological stress in wound healing and reflects on the effects of currently used psychological stress-reducing interventions in patients with DFU, proposing new applications for currently used stress-reduction interventions. Results: Stress is a natural and fundamental survival mechanism that becomes harmful when chronic. DFU is associated with high levels of anxiety and chronic psychological stress. Chronic stress induced cortisol and adrenaline release impairs wound healing, independently of the stressor. Psychological stress-reducing interventions, such as relaxation with guided imagery, biofeedback-assisted relaxation, mindfulness-based strategies, and hypnosis can lead to a reduction in perceived stress and improve wound healing, by reducing wound inflammation and pain, while improving glycemic control. All stress reduction interventions also lead to pain relief and improved patient’s quality of life.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2741
Author(s):  
Claudia Keil ◽  
Christopher Hübner ◽  
Constanze Richter ◽  
Sandy Lier ◽  
Lars Barthel ◽  
...  

Chronic non-healing wounds represent a substantial economic burden to healthcare systems and cause a considerable reduction in quality of life for those affected. Approximately 0.5–2% of the population in developed countries are projected to experience a chronic wound in their lifetime, necessitating further developments in the area of wound care materials. The use of aerogels for wound healing applications has increased due to their high exudate absorbency and ability to incorporate therapeutic substances, amongst them trace metals, to promote wound-healing. This study evaluates the swelling behavior of Ca-Zn-Ag-loaded alginate aerogels and their metal release upon incubation in human sweat or wound fluid substitutes. All aerogels show excellent liquid uptake from any of the formulas and high liquid holding capacities. Calcium is only marginally released into the swelling solvents, thus remaining as alginate bridging component aiding the absorption and fast transfer of liquids into the aerogel network. The zinc transfer quota is similar to those observed for common wound dressings in human and animal injury models. With respect to the immune regulatory function of zinc, cell culture studies show a high availability and anti-inflammatory activity of aerogel released Zn-species in RAW 264.7 macrophages. For silver, the balance between antibacterial effectiveness versus cytotoxicity remains a significant challenge for which the alginate aerogels need to be improved in the future. An increased knowledge of the transformations that alginate aerogels undergo in the course of the fabrication as well as during wound fluid exposure is necessary when aiming to create advanced, tissue-compatible aerogel products.


2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (02) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Huang ◽  
Andrew Burd

ABSTRACTThe ultimate goal of the treatment of cutaneous burns and wounds is to restore the damaged skin both structurally and functionally to its original state. Recent research advances have shown the great potential of stem cells in improving the rate and quality of wound healing and regenerating the skin and its appendages. Stem cell-based therapeutic strategies offer new prospects in the medical technology for burns and wounds care. This review seeks to give an updated overview of the applications of stem cell therapy in burns and wound management since our previous review of the "stem cell strategies in burns care".


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (Sup9b) ◽  
pp. S1-S22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Gethin ◽  
Sebastian Probst ◽  
Jan Stryja ◽  
Natalia Christiansen ◽  
Patricia Price

Background Chronic wounds affect an estimated 2.21 per 1000 population. They are a significant source of morbidity and affect individuals physically, psychologically, socially and financially. Person-centered care is one approach to improve patient outcomes in wound care as it values patients' perspectives, beliefs and autonomy and considers the person as a whole within the cultural context in which care is provided. Aim We aimed to review the evidence on the use of person-centered care (PCC) in chronic wound care management and provide recommendations for practice and future research. Method Using a systematic review methodology, we searched six databases for full-text papers from 2009–2019 published in peer-reviewed journals with no limits on language. Results Eighteen articles on studies involving 3149 patients from nine countries were identified. Studies were conducted under three broad intervention categories: healthcare professional education (n=1); patient education (n=14) and telemedicine (n=3). Studies were equally focused on prevention and treatment of chronic wounds. Significant improvements were reported in patient knowledge, pain and self-care behaviours. Only two studies evaluated the impact on wound healing and one study estimated the cost of implementing person-centered care. Conclusions The evidence base to support PCC in wound management is developing and based on our review has shown improved outcomes in areas of pressure ulcer prevention, patient satisfaction, patient knowledge and quality of life, but clinical outcomes such as wound healing were less well explored. Further research with more objective outcome measures are required.


2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly B. Childress ◽  
Joyce K. Stechmiller

Chronic wounds mainly affect elderly individuals and persons with comorbid diseases due to a compromised immune status. An age-related decline in immune function deters proper healing of wounds in an orderly and timely manner. Thus, older adults with 1 or more concomitant illnesses are more likely to experience and suffer from a nonhealing wound, which may drastically decrease their quality of life and financial resources. Novel therapies in wound care management rely heavily on our current knowledge of wound healing physiology. It is well established that normal wound healing occurs sequentially and is strictly regulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. A multitude of commercial products such as growth factors are available; however, their effectiveness in healing chronic wounds has yet to be proven. Recently, investigators have implicated nitric oxide (NO) in the exertion of regulatory forces on various cellular activities of the inflammatory and proliferative phases of wound healing. Gene therapy in animal studies has shown promising results and is furthering our understanding of impaired wound healing. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on NO and its role in wound healing. A discussion of the physiology of normal healing and the pathophysiology of chronic wounds is provided.


Author(s):  
Eva Vonbrunn ◽  
Marc Mueller ◽  
Melanie Pichlsberger ◽  
Monika Sundl ◽  
Alexander Helmer ◽  
...  

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) exert beneficial effects during wound healing, and cell-seeded scaffolds are a promising method of application. Here, we compared the suitability of a clinically used collagen/elastin scaffold (Matriderm) with an electrospun Poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(l-lactide) (PCL/PLA) scaffold as carriers for human amnion-derived MSCs (hAMSCs). We created an epidermal-like PCL/PLA scaffold and evaluated its microstructural, mechanical, and functional properties. Sequential spinning of different PCL/PLA concentrations resulted in a wide-meshed layer designed for cell-seeding and a dense-meshed layer for apical protection. The Matriderm and PCL/PLA scaffolds then were seeded with hAMSCs, with or without Matrigel coating. The quantity and quality of the adherent cells were evaluated in vitro. The results showed that hAMSCs adhered to and infiltrated both scaffold types but on day 3, more cells were observed on PCL/PLA than on Matriderm. Apoptosis and proliferation rates were similar for all carriers except the coated Matriderm, where apoptotic cells were significantly enhanced. On day 8, the number of cells decreased on all carrier types except the coated Matriderm, which had consistently low cell numbers. Uncoated Matriderm had the highest percentage of proliferative cells and lowest apoptosis rate of all carrier types. Each carrier also was topically applied to skin wound sites in a mouse model and analyzed in vivo over 14 days via optical imaging and histological methods, which showed detectable hAMSCs on all carrier types on day 8. On day 14, all wounds exhibited newly formed epidermis, and all carriers were well-integrated into the underlying dermis and showing signs of degradation. However, only wounds treated with uncoated PCL/PLA maintained a round appearance with minimal contraction. Overall, the results support a 3-day in vitro culture of scaffolds with hAMSCs before wound application. The PCL/PLA scaffold showed higher cell adherence than Matriderm, and the effect of the Matrigel coating was negligible, as all carrier types maintained sufficient numbers of transplanted cells in the wound area. The anti-contractive effects of the PCL/PLA scaffold offer potential new therapeutic approaches to wound care.


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