Advances in Preparation Processes of In Situ Forming Medical Dressings and Their Applications in Complex Wound Healing: A Review

In situ forming medical dressings, as an important solution in the field of complex wound management, have demonstrated significant advantages in improving patients' quality of life and reducing medical costs. This work systematically reviews four major in situ forming technologies: spray coating, electrospinning, injection molding, and in situ bioprinting, with in-depth discussions on their formation mechanisms, multitarget synergistic therapeutic strategies, and clinical translation potential. For spray coating technology, the focus is on the in situ film formation mechanisms such as physical gelation and photo-cross-linking in single-/multicomponent spraying. In the field of electrospinning, the construction of biomimetic fiber structures and their functionality achieved by portable devices are emphasized. The injection process focuses on the filling and self-adaptive adhesion properties endowed by mechanisms, such as temperature-sensitive responses. The in situ bioprinting section reviews the research progress in functional tissue regeneration driven by robotic systems and handheld devices. Meanwhile, this work systematically investigates the application status of in situ forming processes in the repair of complex wounds such as diabetic wounds, mechanical injury wounds, and burn wounds, aiming to comprehensively grasp the development direction of this field. Finally, we summarize the key challenges currently faced by in situ forming processes and provide an outlook on future development trends.