Chronic
wounds affect over 4 million individuals and pose a significant burden to the US healthcare system. Diabetes, venous stasis, radiation or
paralysis are common risk factors for chronic
wounds. Unfortunately, the current standard of care (SOC) has a high relapse rate and these
wounds continue to adversely affect patients' quality of life. Fortunately, advances in tissue engineering have allowed for the development of cell-based
wound dressings that promote wound healing by improving cell migration and differentiation. As the available options continue to increase in quantity and quality, physicians should have a user-friendly guide to reference when deciding which dressing to use. The objective of this review is to identify the currently available
biologic dressings, describe their indications, and provide a framework for integration into clinical practice. This review included 53 studies consisting of prospective and retrospective cohorts as well as several randomized control trials. Three general categories of cell-based
biologic dressings were identified and nine brands were included. Cell-based
biologic dressings have shown efficacy in a broad range of scenarios, and studies examining their efficacy have improved our understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic
wounds. Amniotic and placental membranes have the widest scope and can be used to treat all subtypes of chronic
wounds. Human skin allografts and bioengineered
skin substitutes can be used for chronic
ulcers but generally require a vascularized
wound bed. Autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) has shown promise in
venous stasis ulcers and
decubitus ulcers that have failed conventional treatment. Overall, more research is necessary to determine if these novel therapeutic options will change the current SOC, but current studies demonstrate encouraging results in the treatment of chronic
wounds.