Searching for the Resilient Option in Healing December 2023 As wound care clinicians, we constantly face challenges in healing our patients' wounds. Chronic wounds that fail to progress through the normal stages of healing require us to look beyond the standard limitations in our treatment options. However, focusing our efforts on searching for the resilient factor in wound healing may provide a better path forward. Rather than viewing wounds that are stalled in the inflammatory stage as failures, shifting our perspective to see them as adaptations may enable us to tackle them from a different perspective. The wound is stuck attempting to protect itself from further harm. By identifying the barriers preventing the wound from healing and providing targeted interventions to reduce inflammation and infection, we can support the wound’s innate resilience mechanisms. Removing these impediments allows the body’s robust self-healing abilities to bring the wound back onto a healing trajectory. Viewing wound healing through a lens of resilience enables us to collaborate with our patients’ physiology rather than fighting against it. This approach directs us to search for interventions that align with the wound’s natural resilience factors. In doing so, we may find more effective treatments that do not override but rather unlock the body's intrinsic capacity to heal.
A
s we approach the end of 2023, the Wound Masterclass team wishes to express our deep gratitude to all those who contributed to making this year an impactful one in wound care research and education. We sincerely thank our dedicated readers, subscribers, authors, peer reviewers, partners, and collaborators worldwide. Together, through sharing free online access and knowledge in the Wound Masterclass Journal, Innovation Summit Series, Interactive MasterSeries, and Podcast, we have made great progress in improving patient outcomes related to wound prevention, assessment, treatment, and healing. We have had record global engagement and we are the first fully sustainable free global wound care journal. This year, we published over 100 insightful articles, studies, commentaries, and best practices that have the potential to meaningfully advance wound care and quality of life for millions. We have also seen record levels of global engagement and readership. We are honored to play a role in disseminating vital clinical work to wound care professionals across borders. As the calendar year draws to a close, it is worthwhile to pause and reflect on the advances made in wound care in 2023. Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, this year saw several impactful developments that give hope for continued progress in promoting healing and improving patient quality of life. Several articles in this winter issue of Wound Care Journal highlight recent successes. The use of biodegradable temporizing matrices,
© Copyright. Wound Masterclass. 2023
possibilities for treating chronic limb ischemia and temporizing tissue loss. Research by Alton Johnson et al. on the comparative effectiveness of amniotic membranes represents important work toward optimizing standard protocols for venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers. And work by Michelle Goodeve et al. demonstrates the potential for TLC-NOSF dressings to enhance diabetic ulcer healing. While more work remains, the progress made this year reinforces the power of partnership and discovery to transform patient lives. As we venture into a new year, I am energized by the innovations featured at this year's Wound Masterclass Global Innovation in Wound Care Summit Series, Wound Masterclass MasterSeries 60 Minutes Interactive, The Wound Masterclass Podcast, and in the pages of this journal issue. Our community's dedication gives me optimism that each year will bring us closer to definitive solutions for even the most complex wounds. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in 2024. Ultimately, this progress would not be possible without all of you. We look forward to continuing this collaborative mission in the years ahead as we learn, grow, and serve patients, clinicians and researchers worldwide. We wish you happy holidays and a wonderful start to 2024! With gratitude from the entire Wound Masterclass team.
Dr Negin Shamsian Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon (Locum) Chief Editor of Wound Masterclass London, United Kingdom
Wound Masterclass - Vol 2 - December 2023
3
December 2023