Chronic wounds develop when the orderly process of cutaneous wound healing is delayed or disrupted. Development of a chronic wound is associated with significant morbidity and financial burden to the individual and health-care system. Therefore, new therapeutic modalities are needed to address this serious condition. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promote skin repair, but their clinical use has been limited due to technical challenges. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are particles released by cells that carry bioactive molecules (lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids) and regulate intercellular communication. EVs (exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies) mediate key therapeutic effects of MSCs. In this review we examine the experimental data establishing a role for EVs in wound healing. Then, we explore techniques for designing EVs to function as a targeted drug delivery system and how EVs can be incorporated into biomaterials to produce a personalized wound dressing. Finally, we discuss the status of clinically deploying EVs as a therapeutic agent in wound care.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and topical oxygen therapy (TOT) including continuous diffuse oxygen therapy (CDOT) are often utilized to enhance wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcerations. High pressure pure oxygen assists in the oxygenation of hypoxic wounds to increase perfusion. Although oxygen therapy provides wound healing benefits to some patients with diabetic foot ulcers, it is currently performed from clinical examination and imaging. Data suggest that oxygen therapy promotes wound healing via angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels. Molecular biomarkers relating to tissue inflammation, repair, and healing have been identified. Predictive biomarkers can be used to identify patients who will most likely benefit from this specialized treatment. In diabetic foot ulcerations, specifically, certain biomarkers have been linked to factors involving angiogenesis and inflammation, two crucial aspects of wound healing. In this review, the mechanism of how oxygen works in wound healing on a physiological basis, such as cell metabolism and growth factor signaling transduction is detailed. Additionally, observable clinical outcomes such as collagen formation, angiogenesis, respiratory burst and cell proliferation are described. The scientific evidence for the impact of oxygen on biomolecular pathways and its relationship to the outcomes in clinical research is discussed in this narrative review.

Excessive levels of bacteria impede wound healing and can lead to infectious complications. Unfortunately, clinical signs and symptoms of elevated bacterial burden are often unreliable. As a result, point--of--care fluorescence imaging, used to detect critical bacterial burden in wounds, is becoming widely recognized and adopted by clinicians across the globe as an accepted and added component of wound assessment protocol. A Delphi method was employed to establish consensus guidelines describing fluorescence imaging use. A multidisciplinary panel of 32 wound experts (56% MD, 22% podiatrist, 12.5% nurses/nurse practitioners) representing multiple sites of service (e.g., hospital outpatient, inpatient, private office, long-term care) completed two rounds of online questionnaires. The Delphi included key topics, including competencies required to perform imaging, clinical indications for imaging (e.g., signs/symptoms present, procedures warranting imaging), frequency of imaging, and a clinical workflow algorithm. Describing their clinical experiences of imaging impact, >80% reported changes in treatment plans, 96% reported that imaging-informed treatment plans led to improved wound healing, 78% reported reduced rates of amputations, and 83% reported reduced rates of microbiological sampling. The guidelines provided here will help to standardize use of fluorescence imaging among wound care providers and enhance the quality of patient care.

Cleansing is a vital component of effective wound hygiene and biofilm management, often accomplished through vigorous mechanical action or through soaking with moistened gauze. In the present study, a quantitative comparison of the effectiveness of different cleansing techniques and solutions in removing bacteria was conducted on 71 chronic wounds using bacterial fluorescence imaging as a real‐time diagnostic for moderate to high bacterial loads. Vigorous gauze cleansing for 30 s proved most effective by reducing bacterial fluorescence by 33.99%, surpassing 10‐min soaking in bacterial reduction (13.24%). Among different cleansers, no statistically significant differences in effectiveness were observed, but povidone‐iodine showed the strongest trend towards bacterial reduction. Sub‐analysis highlighted the superiority of antiseptic cleansers over saline and gentle soap (−33.30% vs. −1.80% bacterial reduction respectively). Five percent acetic acid was also shown to be more effective in removing specific bacterial strains ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa ). Findings from studies like this contribute to refining wound hygiene guidelines and clinical algorithms for bacterial and biofilm management.

Background: Chronic wounds represent a significant financial burden to the healthcare system and a quality-of-life burden to patients. Many chronic wounds have elevated bioburden in the form of biofilm, which has been associated with delayed wound healing. This study examined the use of a native type I collagen matrix with the antimicrobial polyhexamethylene biguanide (PCMP) in the management of bioburden and treatment of chronic, nonhealing wounds over 12 weeks. Methods: A prospective case series of PCMP enrolled adults ≥18 years old with a nonhealing wound. At week 0, the wound was prepared by sharp or mechanical debridement. Patients received standard wound care plus PCMP applications at week 0 and then weekly up to week 12 at the investigator’s discretion. Dressings were applied over PCMP to fix it in place. At each visit, wounds were assessed for the extent of healing and signs of wound infection. Results: Of the 41 wounds studied, 44% were pressure ulcers, 22% were surgical wounds, 12% were venous ulcers, 10% were diabetic ulcers, and 12% were another type. The median (interquartile range) baseline wound area was 7.2 (14.9) cm², and the mean wound duration was 103 weeks. Of the 41 wounds, 73% demonstrated a reduction in wound area at 12 weeks, and 37% achieved complete wound closure, with a mean time of 6.7 weeks to complete closure. Conclusion: PCMP treatment appeared to positively impact the course of wound healing in a variety of complex, chronic wounds that were unresponsive to prior treatment.