Chronic wounds represent a worldwide problem. For laboratory and clinical research to adequately address this problem, a common language needs to exist. This language should include a system of wound classification, a lexicon of wound descriptors, and a description of the processes that are likely to affect wound healing and would healing end points. The report that follows defines wound, acute wound, chronic wound, healing and forms of healing, wound assessment, wound extent, woundburden, and wound severity. The utility of these definitions is demonstrated as they relate to the healing of a skin wound, but these definitions are broadly applicable to all wounds. (WOUND REP REG 4994 ;2 :965-70

An advisory panel of academicians, private practice physicians, podiatrists, nurse clinicians, research nurses, industrial scientists, and an epidemiologist was chosen to develop guidelines for the treatment of venous ulcers of the lower extremity. METHODSPrevious guidelines, meta-analyses, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, recent review articles of venous ulcer treatment, and the Medicare/CMS consensus of usual treatment of chronic wounds were all reviewed for evidence. Guidelines were formulated, the underlying principle(s) enumerated, and evidence references listed and coded. The code abbreviations for the evidence citations were as follows: There were major differences between our approach to evidence citations and past approaches to evidence-based guidelines. Most past approaches relied only on publications regarding clinical human studies. Laboratory or animal studies were not cited. We have used wellcontrolled animal studies that present proof of principle, especially when a clinical series corroborated the laboratory results. It was also clear that principles that have been validated for other chronic wound types often are applicable to venous ulcers. Therefore, evidence was sometimes cited that was not specific for venous ulcers.

This new technique appears useful for measuring endogenous levels of cytokines. Levels of cytokines found in these chronic wounds are much lower than those reported from acute wounds. The marked variation found among the 20 wounds may help to explain the differences reported in recent wound healing trials with exogenous cytokines.

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Transforming growth factor-beta(2) promotes healing in a variety of animal models and exhibits clinical effects thought to be mediated by connective tissue formation. Two clinical trials were conducted to evaluate the safety and effect of transforming growth factor-beta(2) purified from bovine bone and delivered topically to venous stasis ulcers three times per week for up to 6 weeks by means of a lyophilized collagen vehicle. The first was an open-label trial comparing transforming growth factor-beta(2) purified from bovine bone (0.5 microg/cm(2)) with a placebo consisting of lyophilized collagen vehicle-without active drug. After no safety issues arose in that trial, a prospectively randomized, closed-label, observer-blinded, three-armed trial was conducted to compare bovine transforming growth factor-beta(2) (2.5 microg/cm(2)) with the collagen matrix placebo vehicle and with a standard dressing. Standardized elastic compression was applied to all test extremities. The rate of reduction of ulcer area as measured by planimetry was the primary measure of effect. No serious safety-related events occurred in either trial. Clinical evaluation suggested that improvement in the quality and quantity of granulation tissue appeared to precede epithelialization of ulcers treated with bovine transforming growth factor-beta(2). In both studies, treatment with bovine transforming growth factor-beta(2) appeared to have a positive effect on the rate of ulcer closure, whereas ulcers in the control groups continued to exhibit impaired healing. In the open-label study, the mean rate of closure of ulcers treated with bovine transforming growth factor-beta(2) was significantly greater than that of ulcers treated with placebo. There was likewise enhanced reduction in ulcer area in the ulcers treated with bovine transforming growth factor-beta(2) in the second trial. However, because of a higher variability in patient response and a greater placebo effect, the difference was not significant. The placebo was not worse than the standard care arm, thereby showing that the vehicle is not injurious to healing. The combined results of the two trials suggest that, at doses of 0.5 to 2.5 microg/cm(2), bovine transforming growth factor-beta(2) is safe as a topically applied agent in a collagen matrix vehicle and can have a positive effect on closure of venous stasis ulcers. Large multicenter trials appear to be indicated to evaluate fully the potential utility of transforming growth factor-beta(2) in accelerating closure of chronic dermal ulcers.