Principles of ChronicWound Pathology, Pathomechanics and Healing Response -- Fundamentals of Pressure, Shear and Friction and Their Effects on the Human Body at Supported Postures -- Mechanobiology of Cutaneous Wound Healing and Scarring -- Cell Migration along the Basement Membrane during Wound Repair. The Corneal Endothelium as a Model System -- The Importance of the Microenvironment of Support Surfaces in the Prevalence of Pressure Ulcers -- Mathematical Modeling of Chronic Wounds and Wound Healing -- Partial Differential Equations for Modelling Wound Geometry -- A Suite of Continuum Models for Different Aspects in Wound Healing -- Computer Methods for Studying Biomechanical Conditions at Chronic Wound Sites: From Tissue to Cellular Scales -- MRI Integrated with Computational Methods for Determining Internal Soft Tissue Loads as Related to Chronic Wounds -- A Finite-Element Biomechanical Model for Evaluating Buttock Tissue Loads in Seated Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury -- Finite Element and Animal Studies of Scar Contractions Leading to Chronic Wounds -- Cellular Deformations under Compression in Cells Involved in Deep Tissue Injury -- Tissue-Engineered Constructs for Studying and Repairing Chronic Wounds -- Tissue Engineered Models: A Valuable Tool in Pressure Ulcer Research -- Tissue-Engineered Models for the Study of Cutaneous Wound-Healing -- Tissue-Derived Materials for Adipose Regeneration -- Biochemical Markers for Early Identification and for Monitoring the Healing of Chronic Wounds -- Clinical and Molecular Perspectives of Deep Tissue Injury: Changes in Molecular Markers in a Rat Model -- Proteomic Approaches for Studying the Phases of Wound Healing -- Innovative Technologies and Devices in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Wounds -- Bioengineering Techniques in Wound Assessment -- Optical Non-invasive Characterization of Chronic Wounds -- Regenerative Wound Healing via Biomaterials -- Abdominal Wall Hernias and Biomaterials.

Pressure-related chronic wounds are an important health concern that affects millions of patients and accumulates billions in annual costs. These wounds may occur when soft tissues are mechanically compressed between bony prominences and a supporting surface. This book gives a complete and quantitative explanation of the mechanobiology which causes chronic wounds. The reviews give an overall picture on all length scales of the phenomenon, starting from musculoskeletal biomechanics to the modeling of soft tissues and their interaction with bones. At the microscopic levels, it thoroughly reviews experiments and modeling of cellular forces and molecular processes that occur during injury and healing, including the integrity of living cells subjected to sustained mechanical forces and deformations. The results allow a complete picture of the tolerance of human tissues to sustained loads, and an understanding of the risk for onset of chronic wounds. Hence, this book is also valuable for all professionals involved in the prevention and treatment of chronic wounds.