Surgical wound assessment by sonography in the prediction of surgical wound infections

Point-of-care detection devices for wound care and monitoring

Healthcare resources are heavily burdened by infections that impede the wound-healing process. A wide range of advanced technologies have been developed for detecting and quantifying infection biomarkers. Finding a timely, accurate, non-invasive diagnostic alternative that does not require a high level of training is a critical step toward arresting common clinical patterns of wound health decline. There is growing interest in the development of innovative diagnostics utilizing a variety of emerging technologies, and new biomarkers have been investigated as potential indicators of wound infection. In this review, we summarize diagnostics available for wound infection, including those used in clinics and still under development.

Multifunctional Hydrogel Dressing That Carries Three Antibiotics Simultaneously and Enables Real-Time Ultrasound Bacterial Colony Detection

We have developed a multifunctional hydrogel that can carry three synergistic antibiotics commonly used in clinical practice. This hydrogel was discovered to have drug encapsulation efficiencies of 94% for neomycin, 97% for bacitracin, and 88% for polymyxin B. Drug release data indicated that the release profiles of these three antibiotics were different. A swelling test demonstrated that the hydrogel absorbed liquid after the release of its antibiotics until it became saturated, which occurred within 48 h. Moreover, this hydrogel exhibited excellent antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and biocompatibility; it can thus protect a wound from microbial invasion. When the alginate hydrogel is used to cover a wound, the wound can be checked for colonization at any time using ultrasound imaging; this can thus enable the prevention of wound biofilm formation in the early stages of infection. We evaluated the hydrogel against commercially available wound dressings and discovered that these wound dressings did not have the aforementioned desirable features. In conclusion, our multifunctional hydrogel can carry three types of antibiotics simultaneously and is a suitable medium through which an ultrasound can be performed to detect the growth of colonies in wounds. The hydrogel is expected to make a valuable contribution to the prevention of wound infections in the future.

Use of platelet-rich plasma to facilitate wound healing

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is widely used nowadays in different fields of medicine, affecting physiological processes including tissue regeneration. The use of PRP in maxillofacial surgical interventions and its efficiency in the improvement of postoperative wound healing were analysed. Patients undergoing plastic and reconstructive surgeries in the maxillofacial region were recruited: 50 patients were enrolled into a control group (received no PPRP injection) and 50 patients were enrolled into a treatment group, where PRP was applied during the surgical procedure. Evaluation of treatment outcomes was carried out by determination of IL-1β, TNFα, and IL-6 cytokines levels in the wound-drain fluid. The stages of wound healing were assessed by cytological analyses and ultrasound within a month period. The use of the PRP has substantially positive effects, contributing to the improvement of the healing process. In the treatment group, fibroblasts, macrophages, and collagen fibres appeared and their quantities increased earlier than when compared with control group patients. The concentration of IL-1β and TNFα in wound fluid on day 1 and day 5 after operation was higher for the treatment group as opposed to the control group, which was linked to the influence of PRP on inflammatory and granulation phases of the healing process. An ultrasound examination showed less oedema and infiltration in the tissues around the wound of the treatment group.