Bioimpedance Measurement for Monitoring Chronic Wounds: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Wound Care Technology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Chronic wounds significantly impact patient quality of life and incur substantial healthcare costs.
• Effective wound assessment and monitoring are crucial for managing chronic wounds and reducing associated burdens.
• Bioimpedance analysis is emerging as a quantitative method for assessing tissue status during wound healing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the current literature on the application of bioimpedance for monitoring chronic wounds.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and challenges of bioimpedance techniques in chronic wound management.
• To identify the state-of-the-art in bioimpedance-based chronic wound monitoring.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines.
• Searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases on August 30, 2024.
• Sixteen studies focusing on bioimpedance measurements for chronic lower leg wound monitoring were included and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in bioimpedance were observed between chronic wounds and healthy skin.
• Bioimpedance measurements demonstrated changes correlating with the wound healing process.
• Variability in electrode types and configurations was noted, impacting measurement accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Bioimpedance-based methods show potential for monitoring chronic lower leg wounds.
• Further research is needed to address challenges for clinical implementation.
• Accurate electrode selection and setup are critical for reliable bioimpedance measurements in wound care.