Treating a ‘Silent Pandemic’: More Effective Dressing for Chronic Wounds on the Horizon, Researchers Say

Millions of patients have chronic wounds, which are hard to treat and can lead to amputation. Now researchers say they have found a better treatment.

Diabetes patients are at risk of non-healing wounds, which may lead to infection and even amputation. A breakthrough treatment aims to kill infection and promote healing, while avoiding issues such as antibiotic resistance. rawpixel/Shutterstock

A new antibiotic- and silver ion-free dressing that has shown promising results in trials is good news for patients with chronic wounds. Researchers from Australia and the UK recently showed that a new treatment using a plasma-activated hydrogel can effectively kill bacteria, avoiding issues with current treatment methods for non-healing wounds.

Chronic wounds are wounds that fail to heal in an orderly and timely fashion or do not heal within a specific period, usually a month to three months. These wounds, which are at high risk of repeated infections, are frequently found in patients with diabetes.