title: Simple biochemical markers to assess chronic wounds.
abstract: We investigated the potential for the biochemical analysis of chronic wound fluid to predict healing using simple and widely available analytes in an out-patient clinic setting. Wound fluid was collected from 12 patients attending a leg ulcer clinic and analyzed for a variety of analytes, including lactate, total protein, and albumin. Twelve weeks after collection the wound was assessed for healing (defined as complete healing or greater than 50% reduction in wound size). The median total protein (44.3 +/- 8.8 g/l) and albumin (25.0 +/- 2.3 g/l) concentrations in exudate collected from four healing wounds were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in exudate from eight nonhealing wounds (median total protein 29.7 +/- 7.6 g/l, median albumin 17.0 +/- 4.3 g/l). No significant difference was observed for lactate. A second specimen of wound fluid was collected from four of the patients (three nonhealing and one healing). The protein analysis confirmed the pattern observed for the first collection: nonhealing wounds had total protein and albumin which remained low compared to healing wounds. No wound with an exudate albumin of less than 20 g/l healed. Both total protein and albumin are stable analytes which can be easily measured in any laboratory and may offer a simple biomarker of healing in chronic wounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Oxford Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000418:Albumins / Q000032:analysis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005122:Exudates and Transudates / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D011506:Proteins