Sheldon V. Pollack

The wound healing process.

A dramatic sequence of events accounts for the repair of cutaneous wounds, be they of a surgical or accidental nature. Although our understanding of this process is increasing at a rapid rate, unanswered questions remain. Undoubtedly, as time goes on and knowledge increases, we will gain further insight into the intricacies of the wound healing phenomenon. Physicians, particularly those who perform surgical procedures of the skin, should be familiar with the biologic precepts implicit in the wound healing process. The understanding of these principles will ultimately lead to a more rational approach to wound management, which does not run counter to a meticulously conceived script.

Systemic drugs and nutritional aspects of wound healing

Abstract There is no doubt that specific nutritional components are important for various phases of the wound healing process. When tissues are being repaired, more amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, water, and oxygen are consumed than during the usual breakdown and buildup of normal, mature tissue. 1 Deficiencies of carbohydrate, protein, certain vitamins, or trace elements may result in impaired or delayed wound healing. Similarly, the pharmacologic milieu in which wound healing occurs is important. Any drug that interferes with the inflammatory response, epithelization, or fibroblast activity in healing wounds might be expected to impair their rates or healing. Much of the information reviewed is derived from studies in experimental animals. It may not always be meaningful (or prudent) to extrapolate such information directly to the human situation because of the anatomic and metabolic differences between laboratory animals and man 2 ; nonetheless, such studies may possess reliable predictive value and serve as useful indicators for further human clinical study.