Chronic Wounds
Chronic wounds are increasing as populations age and conditions such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease become more common. They place a significant burden on patients, clinicians and healthcare systems¹.
A Growing Wound Burden
Chronic wounds are increasing as populations age and rates of diabetes and peripheral vascular disease continue to rise. In the US alone, more than 6.5 million people are affected each year, with an estimated annual healthcare cost of $25 billion1.
Chronic wounds are worsened by the presence of infection and in greater than 60% of these wounds, a biofilm (a community of microbes surrounded by a protective, slimy, extracellular matrix) forms2.
An Existential Crisis
Traditional antimicrobial approaches, including silver, are under increasing scrutiny as resistant pathogens continue to emerge. In 2019, AMR was associated with 1.27 million deaths globally, with long-term forecasts pointing to a growing clinical and economic burden3.
The Perfect Storm
Management of wounds now faces the perfect storm: an increasing number of chronic wounds and associated biofilm infections, combined with decreasing performance of the clinical interventions designed to manage them3.
