Considerations for the global assessment and treatment of patients with recalcitrant wounds

Many factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic, may contribute to wound recalcitrance. For example, arterial circulation may be impaired by atherosclerosis, vasospastic disorders, microemboli, thromboangiitis obliterans, vasculitis, sickle cell anemia, and antiphospholipid syndrome, all of which may impair healing. Inflammatory disorders that may lead to recalcitrance include pyoderma gangrenosum and necrobiosis lipoidica. Chronic venous insufficiency, infection, diabetes mellitus, systemic malignancy, malnutrition, and exposure to pressure and shear prolong the healing process. Wounds secondary to primary skin carcinoma will not heal. Calciphylaxis, a life-threatening metabolic disorder, leads to multiple ulcerations that are especially difficult to heal. Knowledge of common factors that lead to wound recalcitrance is essential to the wound care clinician, as accurate diagnosis results in appropriate treatment. To arrive at the diagnosis, the wound care clinician must perform a thorough history and physical examination and order relevant investigative studies. Treatment is based on correction of the identified underlying condition. By utilizing a systematic approach in the management of each patient with a chronic wound, the wound care clinician increases the probability of achieving wound closure.