Treatment of chronic wounds

Abstract

Treatment of underlying diseases is of paramount importance due to the complex genesis of chronic wounds. This should be followed by a stage-adapted wound treatment, which usually consists of a phase-adapted wound debridement, ensued by a moist wound treatment. In case of epithelialization, a phase-specific shift to dry wound treatment should be performed. Despite the growing number of new wound dressings and therapeutics, current scientific data is incomplete, and evidence for the effectiveness of these wound dressings is only sparse. No significant advantage of one wound dressing over the other exists. The status of negative pressure treatment is still controversial, and no clear evidence is present. In order to achieve a permanent treatment success, causal therapy of venous obstructions and/or arterial disorders is of importance. Systematic and consistent compression therapy is of utmost significance when treating venous wounds.