Book Review: Advances in Wound Repair

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Arch Plast Surg. 2013;40(5):639-640
Publication date (electronic) : 2013 September 13
doi : https://doi.org/10.5999/aps.2013.40.5.639
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
Correspondence: Kwang Seog Kim. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chonnam National University Medical School, 42 Jebong-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju 501-757, Korea. Tel: +82-62-220-6363, 6352, Fax: +82-62-227-1639, pskim@chonnam.ac.kr
Received 2013 June 07; Revised 2013 June 07; Accepted 2013 June 08.

Advances in Wound Repair is an updated collection of advanced technology in wound repair based on the author's personal experience and a unique contribution to the literature on wound repair. It is ideally suited for plastic surgeons, wound specialists, and other healthcare professionals who have a particular interest in, or wish to develop greater knowledge of, wound repair.

Professor Seung-Kyu Han, the author, graduated from Korea University College of Medicine in 1987, trained at Korea University Medical Center between 1987 and 1992, and has worked in the Department of Plastic Surgery of Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea since 1993. During his years at Korea University, he has been interested in the development of new techniques and materials that can improve functional and aesthetic results in wound repair through the procedure with the least degree of invasiveness.

In the preface, the author observes the following: "The art and science of wound healing are complex and intriguing. During the past few decades, various wound healing technologies for promoting cell activity or minimizing scar formation have been developed and some of them are being actively used at present. Selecting an appropriate wound healing strategy according to the condition of the wound is crucial for successful wound healing in that it can minimize the risk of complications, enhance the speed of wound healing, and minimize scar formation after the wound has fully healed. While there have been fairly extensive reports regarding the advanced technology of wound healing, few books on this issue have been published. The aim of Advances in Wound Repair is to provide information on better treatment options in wound repair for medical professionals who deal with wounds."

This single-volume hardback is about 330 pages long. The book is divided into five parts, Part I: Basics of Wound Repair, Part I: Repair of Acute Wounds, Part III: Repair of Chronic Wounds, Part IV: Cell Therapy for Wound Healing, and Part V: Aesthetic Soft Tissue Augmentation. According to the author, Part I sets the stage for providing an overview of wounds including brief anatomy of the skin, wound healing process, and wound dressings. Part II covers various methodologies in repairing acute wounds. In planning reconstruction for the skin and soft tissue defects in acute wounds, efforts should include utilization of the safest and least invasive method with a goal of achieving optimal functional and cosmetic outcomes. A variety of novel methods, which have been developed under these objectives, are described in this section of the book. Part III presents treatment protocols to successfully close non- and/or delayed-healing chronic wounds. As people in industrialized countries age and become more sedentary, the prevalence of chronic wounds including diabetic ulcers is increasing dramatically. However, chronic wounds respond poorly to conventional treatments due to the involvement of multiple factors. It is imperative that the most problematic issues be identified in each patient so that patients can receive individually customized treatment. Part IV builds upon the information from Part III, in which severely impaired activities of cells crucial for wound healing contribute to the impairment of tissue restoration. His experience of cell transplantation for stimulation of wound healing with a variety of cells is also described here. Part V addresses aesthetic procedures using advanced technology in wound healing.

Part I contains 4 chapters with the following titles: 1. Clinical Anatomy of the Skin, 2. Wound Overview, 3. Wound Healing Process, and 4. Wound Dressing. Part II contains 4 chapters with the following titles: 5. Conventional Methods, 6. Autogenous Dermis Graft, 7. Biologic Dermis Graft, and 8. Atypical Island Flaps. Part III contains 6 chapters with the following titles: 9. Management of Chronic Wounds with Focus on Diabetic Ulcers, 10. Management of Ischemia, 11. Management of Infection, 12. Debridements, 13. Pressure Off-Loading and Nutritional Support, and 14. Restoration of Cell Function. Part IV contains 6 chapters with the following titles: 15. Fresh Fibroblast Allograft, 16. Fresh Fibroblast Autograft, 17. Keratinocyte Allograft, 18. Autograft of Adipose-Derived Stromal Vascular Fraction Cells, 19. Autograft of Bone Marrow Stromal Stem Cells, and 20. Allograft of Blood Bank Platelet Concentrate. Part V contains 3 chapters with the following titles: 21. Biologic Implants for Soft Tissue Augmentation, 22. Injectable Soft Tissue Using Fibroblasts, and 23. Injectable Soft Tissue Using Adipose-Derived Cells.

As the author points out, the common subjects that have already been well dealt with elsewhere are briefly described in the book. In the 23 chapters, the author guides the reader from the basics of wound repair to aesthetic reconstruction methods. The simple format and concise description provide for quick access to the core concepts in every chapter. In addition, numerous photographs of actual patients help to assist in a better understanding of the written words. The book succeeds in its goal of providing the reader a rational basis for understanding and advancing the methods of wound repair. I hope the author will consider a second edition in the future.

Notes

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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