Bioburden in chronic wounds can be a principal contributor to inflammation, clinical wound infection, and further delayed wound healing. Clinically diagnosing infection in chronic wounds can be problematic because most individuals susceptible to developing chronic wounds are subject to physiological states that often blunt typical infectious responses in various ways.1 These responses include pain, erythema, febrile state, leukocytosis, edema and increased wound exudate, wound odor, etc. For example, a patient with a neuropathic ulcer and diabetes mellitus may not report pain or fever or present with leukocytosis but will have increased edema and wound exudate. A patient with an ischemic ulcer of peripheral arterial disease may report pain, erythema, fever, and leukocytosis but not have perfusion sufficient to produce edema or increased wound exudate.1 It is imperative to understand how to concurrently manage factors that can contribute to infection, as well as assess for symptoms and implement interventions to prevent infection … read more