Abstract:
Background: Wound treatment comprises a substantial portion of the healthcare
budgets in developed countries. Studies suggest that about 50% of patients
admitted to hospitals have wounds, while 1%−2% of the general population in the
developed world suffers from chronic wounds. Chronic wounds fail to repair
themselves within the expected period of 30 days. Technologies have been
developed to address challenges encountered during wound care with the aim of
alleviating pain, promoting healing, or controlling wound infections.
Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the technological improvements that have been made in this field over time.
Methods: To gain insight into the future of wound management, a systematic review
of literature on the subject was conducted in scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus,
Web of Science, Medline, and Clinical Trials).
Results and Discussion: Results indicate that wound dressings have evolved from
the traditional cotton gauze to composite materials embedded with appropriate
ingredients such as metal‐based nanoparticles. Studies on biodegradable dressing
materials are also underway to explore their applicability in dressing large and
irregular wounds. On the other hand, conventional drugs and traditional formulations for the management of pain, inflammation, infections, and accelerating healing
have been developed. However, more research needs to be carried out to address
the issue of microbial resistance to drugs. Drugs for managing other ailments also
need to be designed in such a way that they can augment wound healing. In addition,
it has been demonstrated that a coordinated integration of conventional and
traditional medicine can produce laudable results in chronic wound management.
Conclusion: Accordingly, collaborative efforts and ingenuity of all players in the field
can accelerate technological advances in the wound care market to the benefit of
the patients.
