Endocrinology

Population ageing

Surgery

Pathology

Health care

Economics

Intensive care medicine

Wound healing

Chronic wound

Population

Wound care

Economic growth

Obesity

Malnutrition

Diabetes mellitus

Medicine

Environmental health

Advances in Wound Care

Significance: A 2018 retrospective analysis of Medicare beneficiaries identified that ∼8.2 million people had wounds with or without infections. Medicare cost estimates for acute and chronic wound treatments ranged from $28.1 billion to $96.8 billion. Highest expenses were for surgical wounds followed by diabetic foot ulcers, with a higher trend toward costs associated with outpatient wound care compared with inpatient. Increasing costs of health care, an aging population, recognition of difficult-to-treat infection threats such as biofilms, and the continued threat of diabetes and obesity worldwide make chronic wounds a substantial clinical, social, and economic challenge. Recent Advances: Chronic wounds are not a problem in an otherwise healthy population. Underlying conditions ranging from malnutrition, to stress, to metabolic syndrome, predispose patients to chronic, nonhealing wounds. From an economic point of view, the annual wound care products market is expected to reach $15–22 billion by 2024. The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT) now lists wounds as a category. Future Directions: A continued rise in the economic, clinical, and social impact of wounds warrants a more structured approach and proportionate investment in wound care, education, and related research.

Human Wounds and Its Burden: An Updated Compendium of Estimates