Local warming therapy for treating chronic wounds: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Wound healing research
• Clinical trial methodology
• Evidence-based medicine

Background:

• Local warming therapy (LWT) is suggested for chronic wounds like pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, arterial ulcers, and diabetic foot ulcers.
• Existing evidence on LWT efficacy for chronic wound treatment remains incomplete.
• This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of LWT on chronic wound healing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of local warming therapy (LWT) in treating chronic wounds.
• To synthesize available evidence on the benefits and risks of LWT for conditions including pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, arterial ulcers, and diabetic foot ulcers.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including Cochrane Wounds, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Chinese databases, up to March 2017.
• Published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating LWT for chronic wounds were screened for inclusion.
• Study selection and data extraction were planned to be performed independently by two review authors.

Main Results:

• No randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review.
• Consequently, a meta-analysis or narrative synthesis of study findings was not possible.
• The review identified a significant lack of high-quality research on LWT for chronic wounds.

Conclusions:

• The efficacy of local warming therapy (LWT) for treating chronic wounds remains undetermined due to the absence of eligible studies.
• There is an urgent need for high-quality randomized controlled trials to investigate LWT's effects on chronic wound healing.
• Further research is critical to establish evidence-based guidelines for LWT in wound care.