Special segment: soft tissue matrices--Bilayered bioengineered skin substitute to augment wound healing

Wounds that fail standard wound care for more than 4 weeks are often very difficult to heal. Several factors including senescent cells, an inflammatory wound environment, unavailable growth factors, and the presence of bacteria inhibit chronic wounds from healing. Bioengineered tissue, such as Apligraf (Organogenesis Inc, Canton, Massachusetts), has been shown to be both safe and effective in decreasing healing time and increasing the incidence of complete wound closure. The science and technology behind bioengineered tissue has altered the way chronic wounds are treated.