A current affair: electrotherapy in wound healing

What is it about?

New developments in accelerating wound healing can have immense beneficial socioeconomic impact. The wound healing process is a highly orchestrated series of mechanisms where a multitude of cells and biological cascades are involved. The skin battery and current of injury mechanisms have become topics of interest for their influence in chronic wounds. Electrostimulation therapy of wounds has shown to be a promising treatment option with no-device-related adverse effects. This review presents an overview of the understanding and use of applied electrical current in various aspects of wound healing. Rapid clinical translation of the evolving understanding of biomolecular mechanisms underlying the effects of electrical simulation on wound healing would positively impact upon enhancing patient's quality of life.

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Why is it important?

Primary care within the NHS costs a lot of money, especially when dealing with chronic wounds. Electrotherapy seems like an elegant way to accelerate or even reactivate the healing process. Unfortunately, the mechanisms of action are still unclear at the cellular level, thus further experimentations to delineate those are warranted.