Current Trends in the Development of Wound Dressings, Biomaterials and Devices

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Wound repair and regeneration of structurally and functionally active tissues is extremely challenging and comprise of one of the major developing sectors in the healthcare industry. Under normal circumstances wound healing proceeds through the four overlapping phases of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling; however, for chronic cases, the healing stalls owing to the presence of repeated external stimuli and existing micro-environmental anarchy at the wound site. Persistent problems in the healing of chronic wounds lead to ulceration and, under severe circumstances results in amputation. Moreover, a study conducted by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), combined with data collected from regional, national, and global resources in 195 countries, depicted that the global burden of chronic dermal wounds has increased significantly over the past ten years since 2005. Recent advances in wound healing studies demonstrate the use of different therapies or matrices for application in non-healing wounds. The first section of this article provides a general overview of the different types of wounds and the healing process. The second part delineates the use of various FDA and non-FDA approved, clinically used wound healing applications. The last part deals with the various devices used in the treatment of acute and chronic wounds, along with their mechanism and mode of action.