Cold Injuries: The chill within

Abstract

The advances in additive manufacturing over the past decade have led to the development of innovative strategies in several healthcare sectors. The treatment and healing of chronic wounds remains a major clinical challenge due to insufficient healing, increasing number of patients and the financial burden in healthcare systems.The use of novel natural or synthetic biomaterials and the design of cell-laden bioinks combined with drug substances has paved the way for effective wound treatment and management including the engineering of skin substitutes and skin regeneration. The major advantages of printing technologies encompass the combination of unlimited bioactive molecules and cells with polymers, the fabrication of complex scaffold designs, accelerated healing times and personalised wound dressings.This review highlights the principles of additive manufacturing processes used for wound healing including technological advantages and processing limitations. We also provide the current trends and clinical improvements focusing on the use of materials with antimicrobial, antioxidant properties or the incorporation of drug substances and peptides for the treatment of chronic wounds. Finally, we present approaches for skin tissue engineering and regeneration based on 3D printing.