Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Mar;34(3):599-610.
doi: 10.1007/s12325-017-0478-y. Epub 2017 Jan 21.

Chronic Wound Healing: A Review of Current Management and Treatments

George Han  1 , Roger Ceilley  2
Affiliations
Review

Chronic Wound Healing: A Review of Current Management and Treatments

George Han et al. Adv Ther. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Wound healing is a complex, highly regulated process that is critical in maintaining the barrier function of skin. With numerous disease processes, the cascade of events involved in wound healing can be affected, resulting in chronic, non-healing wounds that subject the patient to significant discomfort and distress while draining the medical system of an enormous amount of resources. The healing of a superficial wound requires many factors to work in concert, and wound dressings and treatments have evolved considerably to address possible barriers to wound healing, ranging from infection to hypoxia. Even optimally, wound tissue never reaches its pre-injured strength and multiple aberrant healing states can result in chronic non-healing wounds. This article will review wound healing physiology and discuss current approaches for treating a wound.

Keywords: Biofilms; Chronic wounds; Growth factors; Hyperbaric oxygen; Negative pressure wound therapy; Skin infection; Skin substitutes; Wound dressings; Wound healing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chronic ulcers of peripheral vascular disease
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Hyperbaric oxygen wound therapy chamber (Sigma 34 Hyperbaric Chamber, Perry Biomedical, Riviera Beach, FL, USA)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Paquette D, Falanga V. Leg ulcers. Clin Geriatr Med. 2002;18(1):77–88. doi: 10.1016/S0749-0690(03)00035-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brem H, Stojadinovic O, Diegelmann RF, et al. Molecular markers in patients with chronic wounds to guide surgical debridement. Mol Med. 2007;13(1–2):30–39. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sen CK, Gordillo GM, Roy S, et al. Human skin wounds: a major and snowballing threat to public health and the economy. Wound Repair Regen. 2009;17(6):763–771. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-475X.2009.00543.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stadelmann WK, Digenis AG, Tobin GR. Physiology and healing dynamics of chronic cutaneous wounds. Am J Surg. 1998;176(2A Suppl):26S–38S. doi: 10.1016/S0002-9610(98)00183-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wynn TA, Barron L. Macrophages: master regulators of inflammation and fibrosis. Semin Liver Dis. 2010;30(3):245–257. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1255354. - DOI - PMC - PubMed