Why Do Chronic Wounds Contain Biofilm?
The process of wound healing ideally progresses from inflammation to epithelialization and, finally, remodeling. If at any point bacterial (or fungal) colonization becomes prominent, the process of wound healing is disrupted. The creation of biofilm is a microbial defense mechanism that stalls the trajectory of healthy wound healing and can contribute to the development of a chronic wound. It is estimated that 90% of chronic wounds and 6% of acute wounds contain biofilms generated by microbes.1,2 Epidemiologically, chronic wounds impact 2% of the entire US population.2 Because of this large impact, knowledge of proper wound healing and use of clinical tools to assist the wound healing process are essential … read more