Abstract
Clinical outcomes in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) depend not only on
endovascular restoration of macrovascular blood flow but also on aggressive periprocedural
wound care. Education about this area of CLI therapy is essential not only to maximize
the benefits of endovascular therapy but also to facilitate participation in the multidisciplinary
care crucial to attaining limb salvage. In this article, we review the advances in
wound care products and therapies that have granted the wound care specialist the
ability to heal previously nonhealing wounds. We provide a primer on the basic science
behind wound healing and the pathogenesis of ischemic wounds, familiarize the reader
with methods of tissue viability assessment, and provide an overview of wound debridement
techniques, dressings, hyperbaric therapy, and tissue offloading devices. Lastly,
we explore emerging technology on the horizons of wound care.
Keywords
critical limb ischemia - wound care - ulcer - debridement - peripheral arterial disease
- interventional radiology
