Wound dressings in chronic wound therapy

Introduction: Poor wound healing is a growing cost factor in the public health care system. The aim of professional wound management is to break the cycle of chronic healing to enable physiological wound repair. Method: A selective literature search was conducted in the databases AWMF, PubMed und Cochrane Library with the key words chronic wound or ulcer in combination with the terms alginates, hydrofibre, hydrogel, collagen, foam. Results: The wound management products available today do not enable us to achieve physiological regeneration of the skin instead of scarred repair of chronic wounds. Before starting any form of wound treatment the possible causes of poor wound healing must be identified, and causal treatment should be given whenever possible. A wide selection of different wound dressings is available for the topical treatment of chronic wounds. Thorough knowledge of these wound treatment agents enables their differentiated use, and is thus the prerequisite for tailoring them for use according to the healing phase. Conclusion: The current study data barely enable any conclusions to be drawn regarding the superiority of individual wound dressings with regard to the endpoint wound healing. Although the paucity of the evidence makes the decision for or against any individual product more difficult for the clinician, it also shows that expensive wound dressings are not necessarily superior to the more reasonably priced alternatives.