New Findings on Chronic Wounds
Reported June 27, 2005

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New scientific findings could help patients get better treatment for wounds.

Researchers from New York University School of Medicine have learned more about the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of chronic wounds. This information could help them better predict outcomes and develop appropriate courses of treatment sooner.

Chronic wounds, such as bedsores, can be fatal. They occur most frequently in people with diabetes or poor circulation, and in general, those who are bedridden. They can lead to severe infection and even amputation. There are few effective treatment therapies. Most commonly, bad tissue is surgically removed, but it is difficult to determine exactly how much should be.
 

Based on the new microbiologic findings of chronic wounds, researchers could potentially know exactly where the healthy tissue starts. Researchers say, "The skin cells within the edge of the wound that do not have these pathogenic markers or have very little are the million-dollar cells."

The research could also help in clinical trials of new therapies for chronic wounds to make sure the treatments are targeting the right type of cells.

SOURCE: American Journal of Physiology, June 22, 2005