Wound care in older people: overcoming the challenges of assessment and management.

Age-related skin changes lead to increased susceptibility to skin damage and delayed wound healing, which is exacerbated by comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. In some cases, wound healing is not achievable or realistic and this needs to be reflected in the wound management plan. To improve outcomes and experience in older people presenting with wounds it is important to select wound management products that protect the wound bed and surrounding skin, minimise trauma, reduce symptoms and/or promote healing. This article explores how conducting holistic wound assessments, setting realistic treatment aims, and using wound management strategies tailored to each person's needs and wishes can have a positive effect on older people's quality of life.

The association between acupuncture therapy and the risk of reduced pressure ulcers in dementia patients: A retrospective matched cohort study.

Background: The pressure ulcer is a complication developed from dementia. The aim of this study is to study the association between the development of pressure ulcers and the use of acupuncture therapy in patients with dementia. Methods: We performed a retrospective 1:1 propensity score-matched cohort study to investigate the association between acupuncture therapy and the risk of pressure ulcers in patients with dementia. Results: A total of 8,994 patients were identified, 237 patients in the acupuncture cohort and 362 patients in the no-acupuncture cohort developed pressure ulcers. A reduced cumulative incidence of pressure ulcers was observed in the acupuncture cohort (P<0.001). The association between acupuncture and reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers was not affected by sex, age, residence, income, or comorbidities. The variables of etiologies to cause dementia did not change the final result. In the subgroups analyses, the patients without medication for dementia control had a significantly lower rate of pressure ulcers development when they had accepted acupuncture therapy (log-rank test, P<0.001). Conclusion: Our results revealed the association between acupuncture therapy and a reduced incidence of pressure ulcer development in patients with dementia. This finding offers important ideas for further research.

Effectiveness of zinc therapy for the treatment of pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcers are a significant burden in healthcare settings, impacting patients' lives and incurring substantial costs. Nutrition, including the micronutrient zinc, plays a role in wound healing. However, controversy exists regarding zinc supplementation for pressure ulcer management. Further research is needed to determine the efficacy, optimal dosages, and safety of oral zinc supplementation. This commentary provides a critical appraisal of the systematic review conducted by Song et al (2020), which evaluates the efficacy of zinc therapy in the treatment of pressure sores, focusing on the implementation of the nutritional recommendations in context to practice.

Combination of St. John's Wort Oil and Neem Oil in Pharmaceuticals: An Effective Treatment Option for Pressure Ulcers in Intensive Care Units.

Background and Objectives: Phytotherapeutically, various herbal remedies, such as St. John's wort oil, have been introduced as wound care options. Recently, Neem oil has been considered a herbal option for the management of superficial wounds. Wound care is a complex process that involves several factors including the patient, caregiver, and medications. Herbal combinations could be an alternative to the chemical counterparts in the wound care area. This report includes an investigation of the possible supportive impacts of the St. John's wort and Neem oil containing ointment (W Cura G Plus ®) in the management of pressure ulcers (PUs) in three intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Materials and Methods: The ointment was administered to individuals once daily for 42 consecutive days. The status of individuals was macroscopically monitored by measuring the PU area and histopathological assessment of the tissue sections taken on the first and last days of wound treatment. Results: The outcomes of the macroscopic and histopathological techniques exhibited that St. John's wort and Neem oil containing ointment provided a remarkable supportive impact on the patients that suffered from PUs in the ICUs. Conclusions: The combination of St. John's wort and Neem oil could be suggested as an efficient active phytoconstituent for the management of PUs. The herbal ointments may be suggested as an alternative for the patients that have PUs in the ICUs.

Preventing pressure injury in open-heart surgical patients: A systematic review.

Background: Cardiac surgical patients are highly prone to developing surgery-related Pressure injuries (PIs). Prevention of PIs is an important patient safety priority in healthcare settings and patients care. So the aim of this study is to detect the effectiveness of prevention strategies to decrease PIs prevalence and incidence in patients undergoing open heart surgery. Method: We identified studies through Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, and ProQuest databases from inception through September 2022 with restrictions on the English language. Cochrane RoB 2, JBI, and NIH checklist were carried out as critical appraisal Tools to investigate the studies risk of bias. Finally, 10 studies with a total sample No. 1348, which fulfilled eligibility criteria were included in final systematic review. Result: Most common interventions investigated in included studies were addressing impairments skin care which included the use of multilayer silicone foam, Care bundle and multiple intervention programs, alternative head inflatable pads, pressure-reducing foam mattresses, and electric bed frames as the effective PIs Prevention (PIP) strategies. While repositioning is one of the important causes mentioned in most PIP protocols, there was not adequate evidence to recommend any special turning regimens for PIP. Conclusion: Given current evidence, multilayer silicone foam, Care bundle and multiple intervention programs, alternative inflatable head pads, pressure-reducing foam mattresses, and electric bed frames are effective strategies to prevent pressure ulcers. Further investigations are needed to specify the cost-effectiveness of mentioned strategies and RCTs to determine other PIP strategies such as repositioning and mobilization, nutritional supplementation, creams, and co-interventions effects.

Use of Medical-Grade Honey to Treat Clinically Infected Heel Pressure Ulcers in High-Risk Patients: A Prospective Case Series.

Management of locally infected heel-pressure ulcers (HPUs) remains challenging, and given the increasing occurrence of infections resistant to antibiotic therapy and patients' unwillingness to surgery, innovative and effective approaches must be considered. Medical-grade honey (MGH) could be an alternative therapeutic approach due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and healing properties. This study aimed to present the high effectiveness and safety of MGH for the conservative treatment of clinically infected HPUs. In this case series, we have prospectively studied nine patients with local signs of infected HPUs. In all cases, HPUs persisted for more than 4 weeks, and previous treatments with topical antibiotics or antiseptic products were ineffective. All patients were at high-risk to develop HPU infection due to their advanced age (median age of 86 years), several comorbidities, and permanent immobility. All wounds were treated with MGH products (L-Mesitran), leading to infection resolution within 3-4 weeks and complete wound healing without complication. Considering the failure of previous treatments and the chronic nature of the wounds, MGH was an effective treatment. MGH-based products are clinically and cost-effective for treating hard-to-heal pressure ulcers such as HPUs. Thus, MGH can be recommended as an alternative or complementary therapy in wound healing.

Pharmaceutical preparations of Periplaneta americana (KangFuXin liquid) in the treatment of pressure ulcer: A meta-analysis.

Pressure ulcers often become chronic wounds that are difficult to treat and that tend to recur after healing. In China, convincing data from randomised trials have demonstrated that the pharmaceutical preparations of Periplaneta americana (KangFuXin Liquid, KFX) have a significant efficacy for pressure ulcers. To provide more reference to the clinicians and experts, we conducted a meta-analysis based on the existing randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We searched the RCTs about KFX for the treatment of pressure ulcers published up to July 2022 in major English and Chinese databases with no language restriction, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science (WOS), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), China Network Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedicine (CBM), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), and WanFang database. Cochrane Handbook guidelines were used to assess the risk of bias and to evaluate the methodological quality of included RCTs. Estimates of the intervention's effects are expressed as the risk ratio (RR) (95% CI) for binary outcomes and mean difference or standardised mean difference (95% CI) for continuous outcomes. We applied fixed or random effects models, and all analyses were performed using Review Manager version 5.4 and Stata/SE version 12.0. We included 22 studies with a total of 1575 participants. Compared with controls, KFX combined with basic wound care or KFX combined with basic wound care and another topical drug or physical treatment significantly increase clinical efficacy (RR: 1.17; 95% CI, 1.06-1.28; P = 0.001; I2  = 81%) and shorten the complete healing time (MD = -5.11; 95% CI [-8.19, -2.02]; P = 0.001) for pressure ulcers. Subgroup analysis showed a significant difference in the total clinical effect rate between KFX combined with basic wound care and controls. (n = 1018, RR 1.21, 95% CI [1.07, 1.36], I2  = 82%, P = 0.003). No difference was found in the total clinical effective rate between patients using KFX combined with basic wound care and another topical drug or physical treatment with controls (KFX combined with basic wound care and topical physical treatment: n = 267, RR 1.15, 95% CI [0.86, 1.52], I2  = 87%, P = 0.34; KFX combined with basic wound care and topical drug: n = 290, RR 1.05, 95% CI [0.80, 1.37], I2  = 86%, P = 0.71). Based on treatment duration, subgroup analysis indicated that increasing treatment duration increased the total clinical effective rate when treatment duration was not long. (treatment duration: 14 days: n = 158, OR 5.48, 95% CI [1.47, 20.43], I2  = 0%, P = 0.01; 21 days: n = 132, OR 5.93, 95% CI [1.86, 18.91], I2  = 65%, P = 0.003). When treatment duration was 28 days or 30 days, the results showed that there was no significant difference in total clinical effective rate between interventions and controls (treatment duration: 28 days: n = 107, OR 3.04, 95% CI [0.25, 37.32], I2  = 50%, P = 0.38; 30 days: n = 256, OR 0.58, 95% CI [0.11, 3.15], I2  = 65%, P = 0.53). No data on side effects were reported in any of the 22 studies. The conclusion is that the combination of KFX and basic wound care is effective in increasing the total clinical effectiveness and shortening the complete healing time of pressure ulcers.

Chemical Profile of the Pits Oil from the Tunisian 'Alig' Cultivar of Phoenix dactylifera L.: In Vivo Wound Healing Potential Evaluation of a Cream Formulated from the Extracted Oil and Insights from Molecular Docking and SAR Analysis.

Since ancient times the oil from date palm pits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been used to heal wounds. In order to prove this traditional usage of the pits, this oil was extracted from the pits of the Tunisian cultivar 'Alig' and its physico-chemical properties and the chemical composition were evaluated. The fatty acid profile, evidenced by GC, allowed to classify this oil as an oleic-myristic acid oil with a clear abundance of oleic acid (53.66 %). 1 H and 13 C-NMR as well as FT-IR analyses confirmed the presence of fatty acids in triglyceride forms. Furthermore, in vivo wound healing activity of a cream formulated from the extracted oil was performed, for the first time, using a rat model and was compared to placebo cream and a commercial formulation, MEBO®. This study showed that the test cream promoted the healing of pressure ulcers better than the placebo cream and the MEBO® ointment. The results showed that this vegetable oil is able to improve the healing of infected wounds in rats, thus supporting its traditional use. The contribution of the main oleic, linoleic and myristic acids that can be derived from enzymatic hydrolysis to the healing activity of the whole pits oil was predicted by in silico study and the calculated pharmacokinetics parameters.

Pressure ulcers at the end of life.

Skin compromise at the end of life (SCALE) is not a new concept. The development of SCALE at the end of life is often deemed unavoidable and a result of multiorgan failure resulting in tissue hypoperfusion, which leads to depletion of oxygen and nutrients for the skin. Pressure ulcers, formed due to pressure, shearing or continuous friction, are also common at the end of life. The goal of care for patients with pressure ulcers at the end of life is usually wound management and good quality of life, rather than wound healing. Nurses must assess all pressure ulcers or SCALE at the end of life holistically and consider treatment and management based on the patient's condition.

Skin assessment in adults.

The skin has often been described in fictional literature as the window to the soul. It is the largest organ in the body and integral to both physical and psychosocial health. A complete skin assessment is essential for holistic care and must be completed by nurses and other health professionals on a regular basis. Providing patients and relatives with information on good skin hygiene can improve skin integrity and reduce the risk of pressure damage and skin tears.

The influence of anaemia on pressure ulcer healing in elderly patients.

Anaemia is a common and multifactorial blood disorder in elderly individuals. This condition may be a significant barrier to pressure ulcers healing as it is associated with a decreased level of oxygen being supplied to body tissues. Some nutritional deficiencies such as iron, vitamin B12 and folate may also cause anaemia and have a negative impact on pressure ulcer healing. An increased iron demand in hard-to-heal pressure ulcers is a significant factor associated with the risk of anaemia of chronic disease in elderly patients. Anaemia screening and correction may need to be considered as well as iron supplementation if required in pressure ulcer prevention and management.

Metabolic Profiling of VOCs Emitted by Bacteria Isolated from Pressure Ulcers and Treated with Different Concentrations of Bio-AgNPs.

Considering the advent of antibiotic resistance, the study of bacterial metabolic behavior stimulated by novel antimicrobial agents becomes a relevant tool to elucidate involved adaptive pathways. Profiling of volatile metabolites was performed to monitor alterations of bacterial metabolism induced by biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (bio-AgNPs). Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were isolated from pressure ulcers, and their cultures were prepared in the presence/absence of bio-AgNPs at 12.5, 25 and 50 µg mL-1. Headspace solid phase microextraction associated to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was the employed analytical platform. At the lower concentration level, the agent promoted positive modulation of products of fermentation routes and bioactive volatiles, indicating an attempt of bacteria to adapt to an ongoing suppression of cellular respiration. Augmented response of aldehydes and other possible products of lipid oxidative cleavage was noticed for increasing levels of bio-AgNPs. The greatest concentration of agent caused a reduction of 44 to 80% in the variety of compounds found in the control samples. Pathway analysis indicated overall inhibition of amino acids and fatty acids routes. The present assessment may provide a deeper understanding of molecular mechanisms of bio-AgNPs and how the metabolic response of bacteria is untangled.

Understanding the elements of a holistic wound assessment.

Wounds have become a significant public health challenge and consume a large amount of healthcare resources. Wounds can have severe negative effects on patients' quality of life, causing psychological and social distress, and may lead to significant periods of lost employment, resulting in financial loss. For nurses to manage wounds effectively, they need to be competent in undertaking holistic wound assessments. This article supports nurses' understanding by providing information on various types of wounds and their differing aetiologies. It also outlines the elements of a wound assessment and discusses some of the challenges that may be encountered during this process.

Traditional and advanced therapeutic modalities for wounds in the paediatric population: an evidence-based review.

OBJECTIVE: Children can have non-healing wounds due to a wide range of pathologies, including epidermolysis bullosa (EB), pilonidal disease and Stevens-Johnson syndrome, with some causes being iatrogenic, including extravasation injuries and medical device-related hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. Furthermore, paediatric wounds are vastly different from adult wounds and therefore require a different treatment approach. While there are numerous types of dressings, topical remedies, and matrices with high-tier evidence to support their use in adults, evidence is scarce in the neonatal and paediatric age groups. The purpose of this review is to discuss the basic principles in paediatric wound management, as well as to present new treatment findings published in the literature to date. The benefits and risks of using different types of debridement are discussed in this review. Various topical formulations are also described, including the need to use antibiotics judiciously. METHOD: Databases were searched for relevant sources including Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and DynaMed. Search terms used included 'wound care', 'wound management', 'paediatrics', 'children', 'skin substitutes', and 'grafts'. Additionally, each treatment and disease entity was searched for relevant sources, including, for example: 'Apligraf', 'dermagraft', 'Manuka honey', 'antibiotic', 'timolol', and 'negative pressure wound therapy' (NPWT). RESULTS: Amniotic membrane living skin equivalent is a cellular matrix that has been reportedly successful in treating paediatrics wounds and is currently under investigation in randomised clinical trials. Helicoll is an acellular matrix, which shows promise in children with recessive dystrophic EB. NPWT may be used as a tool to accelerate wound closure in children; however, caution must be taken due to limited evidence to support its safety and efficacy in the paediatric patient population. Integra has been reported as a useful adjunctive treatment to NPWT as both may act synergistically. Hospitalised children and neonates frequently have pressure ulcers, which is why prevention in this type of wound is paramount. CONCLUSION: Advancements in wound care are rapidly expanding. Various treatments for non-healing wounds in paediatric and neonatal patients have been reported, but high tier evidence in these populations is scarce. We hope to shed light on existing evidence regarding the different therapeutic modalities, from debridement techniques and dressing types to tissue substitutes and topical remedies. There have been promising results in many studies to date, but RCTs involving larger sample sizes are necessary, in order to determine the specific role these innovative agents play in paediatric wounds and to identify true safety and efficacy.

Yunnan Baiyao reduces hospital-acquired pressure ulcers via suppressing virulence gene expression and biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus.

Yunnan Baiyao (YB) as a kind of famous Chinese herbal medicine, possessed hemostatic, invigorating the circulation of blood, and anti-inflammatory effects. Identifying strategies to protect patients at risk for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU) is essential. Herein, our results showed that YB treatment can effectively reduce the acne wound area and improve efficacy in a comparative study of 60 cases HAPU patients with S. aureus positive of acne wound pathogens. Furthermore, YB inhibited HIa expression and suppressed accessory gene regulator (agr) system controlled by regulatory RNA II and RNA III molecule using pALC1740, pALC1742 and pALC1743 S. aureus strain linked to gfpuvr reporter gene. Moreover, YB downregulated cao mRNA expression and inhibited coagulase activity by RT-PCR, slide and tube coagulase test. Additionally, YB downregulated seb, sec, sed, and tsst-1 mRNA expression to suppress enterotoxin and tsst-1 secretion and adhesion function related genes sarA, icaA, and cidA mRNA expression. Taken together, the data suggest that YB may reduce HAPU via suppressing virulence gene expression and biofilm formation of S. aureus.

Zinc deficiency exacerbates pressure ulcers by increasing oxidative stress and ATP in the skin.

BACKGROUND: Zinc deficiency is believed to be a predisposing factor for the development and intractable healing of pressure ulcers (PUs); however, the mechanisms of this association have not been elucidated. OBJECTIVE: Objective was to elucidate the mechanisms of the formation of severe and prolonged PUs under the zinc deficiency condition. METHODS: We assessed PUs formation after cutaneous ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice fed with a zinc-adequate (ZA) or a zinc-deficient (ZD) diet from 2 weeks before I/R injury. Wound size, vascular damage, apoptotic cells, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) amount, and the number of Langerhans cells (LCs) in I/R area were analyzed. We evaluated the extent of oxidative stress in I/R area in OKD48 mice through bioluminescence detection. RESULTS: We found that dietary zinc deficiency caused the formation of severe and prolonged PUs in mice. Zinc deficiency increased the vascular disorder, oxidative stress, and apoptosis induced by cutaneous I/R injury. I/R injury-induced oxidative stress signals were significantly higher in ZD OKD48 mice than in ZA OKD48 mice. Additionally, zinc deficiency reduced the number of LCs and increased the amount of ATP in cutaneous I/R-injured skin. Oral supplementation of zinc improved zinc deficiency-associated PUs. CONCLUSION: Zinc deficiency might increase cutaneous I/R injury-induced vascular damages, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, as well as ATP amount in I/R area due to the loss of LCs. These mechanisms might partly account for zinc deficiency-induced formation of severe and prolonged PUs. Oral supplementation of zinc might be a reasonable therapeutic choice for patients with PUs and zinc deficiency.

[Research progress of acupuncture and the related adjuvant therapy for promoting pressure ulcer healing in recent 10 years].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the research progress of acupuncture-moxibustion and the related adjuvant therapy for promoting pressure ulcer healing in recent 10 years and explore the future research direction. METHODS: By retrieving Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), VIP Database (VIP) and PubMed database, dated from January 2008 through to December 2017, the articles for the treatment of pressure ulcers with acupuncture-moxibustion and the related adjuvant therapy were collected. In terms of clinical research and experimental research, the research progress and the related effect mechanisms were analyzed and summarized. RESULTS: Through screening, 78 articles for the treatment of pressure ulcer with acupuncture-moxibustion and the adjuvant therapy were collected finally, of which, 71 articles were Chinese and 7 articles were English. The therapies with the highest frequency for pressure ulcer were the simple moxibustion or moxibusiton combined with other adjuvant measures. The local surrounding needling therapy, electroacupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and laser therapy were followed by regarding the use frequency. All of these interventions promoted the healing of pressure ulcers to different degrees. The underlying mechanisms were related to the regulation of the local blood perfusion, differentiation and migration of vascular endothelial growth factor, angiogenesis, superoxide dismutase SOD and eNOS/NO signaling pathway so as to promote tissue migration and proliferation. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture-moxibustion and the related adjuvant therapies achieve the definite therapeutic effects on pressure ulcers. The researches on the treatment of pressure ulcers at home and abroad are diversified, but it is still limited in the research on the effect mechanism.

Tanshinol relieves lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory injury of HaCaT cells via down-regulation of microRNA-122.

This study investigated the effects of tanshinol (TAN) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced human keratinocytes inflammatory injury and underlying potential molecular mechanisms. Viability and apoptosis of HaCaT cells were assessed using MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, respectively. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the expression of microRNA-122 (miR-122) in HaCaT cells. Cell transfection was conducted to up-regulate the expression of miR-122. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of key factors involved in cell apoptosis, inflammatory response, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways. We found that LPS treatment induced HaCaT cell inflammatory injury by inhibiting cell viability, promoting cell apoptosis, and enhancing the protein expression levels of cyclooxygenase 2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase. TAN treatment relieved LPS-induced HaCaT cell inflammatory injury. Moreover, TAN treatment attenuated LPS-induced activation of JNK and NF-κB pathways in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, TAN treatment alleviated LPS-induced up-regulation of miR-122. Overexpression of miR-122 reversed the effects of TAN on LPS-induced HaCaT cell inflammatory injury and activation of JNK and NF-κB pathways. In conclusion, TAN exerted anti-inflammatory and protective effects on keratinocytes injury. TAN relieved LPS-induced inflammatory injury of human HaCaT cells via down-regulating miR-122 and then inactivating JNK and NF-κB pathways.

Ligustrazine promoted hypoxia-treated cell growth by upregulation of miR-135b in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers are a kind of troublesome disease which caused by long-term pressure and subsequently lead to tissue festering necrosis because of sustained ischemia, hypoxia and malnutrition. In our study, we used hypoxia to stimulate human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to mimic pressure ulcers and investigated the effects of Ligustrazine (Lig) with multi-activities on HUVECs. METHODS: HUVECs were treated by hypoxia to induce cell injury. HUVECs were administrated with Lig and/or transfected with miR-135b inhibitor or negative control. Cell viability and cell apoptosis were detected by Cell Counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The protein expression of Cyclin D1 and p53, the apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2, Bax, pro-/Cleaved-Caspas-3), and the JNK/SAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways related proteins was examined by western blot. RESULTS: Hypoxia-induced injury presented by decreasing cell viability and increasing cell apoptosis. Then Lig administration enhanced cell viability and inhibited cell apoptosis. Importantly, miR-135b was upregulated by the treatment of Lig. Further studies revealed that transfection with miR-135b inhibitor led to the opposite result with decreasing cell viability and increasing cell apoptosis. In addition, Lig increased the phosphorylation of JNK, SAPK, PI3K, AKT and mTOR. CONCLUSION: Lig promoted hypoxia-treated HUVECs cell growth as evidenced by increasing cell viability and reducing cell apoptosis. This process might be modulated by upregulation of miR-135b and subsequent activation of JNK/SAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways.

Research progress of acupuncture and the related adjuvant therapy for promoting pressure ulcer healing in recent 10 years / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To summarize the research progress of acupuncture-moxibustion and the related adjuvant therapy for promoting pressure ulcer healing in recent 10 years and explore the future research direction.@*METHODS@#By retrieving Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), VIP Database (VIP) and PubMed database, dated from January 2008 through to December 2017, the articles for the treatment of pressure ulcers with acupuncture-moxibustion and the related adjuvant therapy were collected. In terms of clinical research and experimental research, the research progress and the related effect mechanisms were analyzed and summarized.@*RESULTS@#Through screening, 78 articles for the treatment of pressure ulcer with acupuncture-moxibustion and the adjuvant therapy were collected finally, of which, 71 articles were Chinese and 7 articles were English. The therapies with the highest frequency for pressure ulcer were the simple moxibustion or moxibusiton combined with other adjuvant measures. The local surrounding needling therapy, electroacupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and laser therapy were followed by regarding the use frequency. All of these interventions promoted the healing of pressure ulcers to different degrees. The underlying mechanisms were related to the regulation of the local blood perfusion, differentiation and migration of vascular endothelial growth factor, angiogenesis, superoxide dismutase SOD and eNOS/NO signaling pathway so as to promote tissue migration and proliferation.@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture-moxibustion and the related adjuvant therapies achieve the definite therapeutic effects on pressure ulcers. The researches on the treatment of pressure ulcers at home and abroad are diversified, but it is still limited in the research on the effect mechanism.