A Model and Simulation With Therapeutic Device-Protocol Design Implications for Acute and Chronic Wounds

An understanding of healing processes for different tissues and organs, along with the development of appropriate therapeutic devices and treatment protocols, requires an appreciation for the mechanisms-of-action and sequencing of many interconnected chemical, electrical, mechanical, and optical activities. Unfortunately, the substantial contributions that endogenous electrical mechanisms-of-action provide in healing and regulation are often overlooked, resulting in a poor transfer of knowledge from science, to engineering, and finally, to therapy. The wide variety of healing processes, their therapeutic implications, and the devices and protocol designs that are most effective cannot be understood or addressed adequately without an understanding of the endogenous electrical mechanisms-of-action associated with wound healing. Achieving this level of understanding can be enhanced by the use of appropriate models and simulations that are based on physiological/biochemical system response characteristics.