Preliminary evidence for the presence of programmed cell death in pressure injuries

Pressure injuries (PIs) are a common healthcare problem worldwide and are considered to be the most expensive chronic wounds after arterial ulcers. Although the gross factors including ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) have been identified in the etiology of PIs, the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to PIs development remain unclear. Various forms of programmed cell death including apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, necroptosis and ferroptosis have been identified in PIs. In this paper, we present a detailed overview on various forms of cell death; discuss the recent advances in the roles of cell death in the occurrence and development of PIs and found much of the evidence is novel and based on animal experiments. Herein, we also state critical evaluation of the existing data and future perspective in the field. A better understanding of the programmed cell death mechanism in PIs may have important implications in driving the development of new preventive and therapeutic strategies.