The biological and physiological impact of the performance of wound dressings

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/iwj.13960

Authors: Breda Cullen and Amit Geffen

Abstract

Chronic wounds affect millions globally and are a huge financial burden. Whilst there are many wound dressings commercially available to manage these wounds, the complexity of the repair process makes it difficult to select the right dressing for the right wound at the right time. Thus, in this narrative review, we have examined reasons why wounds fail to heal, summarized the pathophysiology  of  the  chronic  wound  environment  and  provided  an evidence-based, clinically-relevant compilation of the published literature relevant to dressing design and evaluation. This has highlighted the need for a dee-per understanding of wound exudates, how exudates change throughout the healing process, and how they are impacted by different dressing materials. Studies assessing biochemical and biophysical changes in exudates throughout the healing process are extremely valuable in this regard, enhancing both our understanding of the wound healing process and the ability to assess dressing performance. In addition, this knowledge allows us to replicate various wound conditions in the laboratory, and develop clinically-relevant models for testing current and new dressings, therefore providing a more comprehensive under-standing of how and when they should be used. This approach makes the use of dressings more effective, thereby improving outcomes, and reducing the economic burden of chronic wounds.

Keywords

chronic wounds, clinical outcomes, dressing design and evaluation, exudate, wound healing

Key Messages

• chronic wounds affect millions globally and are a huge financial burden
• we examined reasons why wounds fail to heal, relating to dressing performance
• exudates provide valuable information about the wound and its healing status
• exudate content studies allow to replicate wound conditions in the laboratory
• such studies thereby enable improved, clinically-relevant testing of dressings

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The biological and physiological impact of the performance of wound dressings

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