With the advent of managed care,
wound care professionals have limited time to heal chronic
wounds. They need to know whether the repair process is progressing or stagnating in response to treatments.
Phosphorus-31 (31P) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic measurements of chronic
wound biochemistry yields rapid knowledge of whether a
wound is generating, storing, or using energy. We used 31P NMR analysis on biopsy samples to explore the energy status of two chronic non-healing
leg ulcers, before and after the first week of treatment with two low-pH
hydrocolloid materials. Energy generation (i.e., energy "charge") was initially low in both
wounds and was significantly elevated after 1 week of treatment. Earlier work has shown that
leg ulcer pathophysiology is altered during the first week of
hydrocolloid treatment. This work traces the origins of such effects deeper into the cellular biochemistry and correlates the measures with the final healing outcome. 31P NMR spectroscopy may provide a real-time biochemical "fingerprint" that shows clinicians the healing status of a questionable
wound. Further study is needed to confirm the reliability and validity of 31P NMR spectroscopy as a predictor of healing outcomes in other
wound environments.