Innovative Wound Dressings and Emerging Technologies for Wound Treatment: Trends and Perspectives – A Review

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Wound treatment has undergone significant advances with the development of dressings and therapies that provide not only simple protective coverage but also actively promote tissue regeneration. This work addresses the classification of dressings, ranging from primary and secondary types to cutting-edge technologies, including bioactive, innovative, 3D-printed, and nanotechnological dressings.

Methods: A structured narrative literature review was conducted by searching major health, nursing, and wound care databases major health, nursing, and wound care databases, complemented by specialized sources.

Results: The review indicates that auxiliary therapies, such as stem cells, growth factors, and cold plasma, are predominantly explored as adjunctive approaches alongside advanced wound dressings, with the literature reporting potential benefits in accelerating healing, especially in complex and chronic wound settings. It also highlights the primary challenges to implementing these approaches, including high production costs, a shortage of trained professionals, limited robust, long-term clinical studies, and regulatory hurdles. Additionally, the environmental impacts of dressing production and disposal were addressed, highlighting the role of biopolymers and nanotechnology as sustainable and ef icient alternatives to traditional methods.

Conclusions: Despite current limitations, future prospects remain promising, with an emphasis on personalized medicine, intelligent monitoring systems, and bioengineering, underscoring the need for more in-depth research and clinical validation to consolidate these innovations in wound care practice.