State-of-the-art wound healing: skin substitutes for chronic wounds

Cutis. 2014 Jan;93(1):E13-6.

Abstract

The care of chronic wounds represents an important and evolving area of dermatology. With a rising prevalence of chronic wounds bearing notable effects on patient morbidity including amputations, appropriate and effective intervention to treat these debilitating wounds can make a significant clinical impact. In recent years, several advanced bioactive wound dressings have been developed to specifically treat chronic nonhealing wounds. These wound dressings encompass a wide range of products containing synthetic matrix scaffolds, animal-derived matrices, and human tissue. With several of these wound dressings, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated improvement in wound healing; furthermore, cost-effectiveness studies have suggested that these products may reduce the overall cost of treating a chronic wound. Familiarity with these products and their appropriate use may be helpful to dermatologists treating chronic wounds.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bandages / economics
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Humans
  • Skin, Artificial* / economics
  • Tissue Scaffolds
  • Wound Healing / physiology*
  • Wounds and Injuries / economics
  • Wounds and Injuries / pathology
  • Wounds and Injuries / therapy*