Hydrolyzed Versus Native Collagen in Management of Acute Surgical Wounds: A Literature Review

Summary

Surgical wound management aims to protect and heal a patient’s wound quickly and without complications. In the healing process, collagen is a component of normal wound healing in which native collagen is broken into collagen fragments. Hydrolyzed collagen, for which the breakdown process is started, provides a “head start” to wound healing. However, the published literature has scattered articles addressing benefits of hydrolyzed collagen in the healing process of acute surgical wounds. To consider research on hydrolyzed collagen in acute surgical wound management, we reviewed literature from 2018 to 2023 in PubMed to find research that addresses hydrolyzed collagen in acute wound management. The literature search uncovered 15 articles that address the numerous benefits of hydrolyzed collagen in acute surgical wound management. In the management of acute surgical wounds, hydrolyzed collagen provides benefits that help with a timely inflammatory response and resolution, epithelialization, wound appearance, and tensile strength. Based on existing data, we encourage surgeons to utilize hydrolyzed collagen powder as an effective tool in acute surgical wound management and suggest that additional research, particularly large focused studies, would benefit patient care.

Reference

Hydrolyzed Versus Native Collagen in Management of Acute Surgical Wounds: A Literature Review. Journal of Surgery. 2024;9(4).