Wound Healing and Management Considerations in the Pediatric Surgical Patient

SIGNIFICANCE: Wound healing in pediatric patients is affected by physiology, growth, and development considerations unique from those in adults. In the following report, we review the primary literature on aging and wound healing and highlight clinical wound healing applications for the pediatric patient across age ranges from neonates and infants in the first year of life to adolescents (aged 10-19 years by World Health Organization definition). RECENT ADVANCES: We characterize the differences in wound healing biology between infants, adolescents, and adults and discuss wound care strategies for pediatric surgical patients, highlighting evidence-based guidelines for wound management. We discuss relevant animal models and review the multidisciplinary aspects of providing wound care for children. CRITICAL ISSUES: Pediatric surgical patients have specialized wound care needs. Optimizing wound care outcomes for infants, children, and adolescents relies on an understanding of their wound-healing biology and unique physiological, psychological, and social considerations. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Future directions in pediatric wound care will focus on validating and optimizing emerging technologies through pediatric-specific clinical trials, while also addressing key knowledge gaps in topical agent pharmacokinetics and advancing regenerative approaches like mesenchymal stem cell therapies tailored to the unique biology of infants and children.