Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41896289›Full record

Observational studyScientific reports2026

pH profiling reveals progressive wound acidification during healing and higher pH in chronic non-healing wounds: a prospective, multicenter cohort study.

Julian-Dario Rembe, Mareike Witte, Neslihan Ertas, Joachim Dissemond, Waseem Garabet, Maria Hovhannisyan, Katharina Beckamp, Hubert Schelzig, Markus U Wagenhäuser, Ewa K Stuermer

Abstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Julian-Dario Rembe *Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. julian-dario.rembe@med.uni-duesseldorf.de.
Mareike Witte *Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Neslihan ErtasDepartment of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Joachim DissemondDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany.
Waseem GarabetDepartment of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Maria HovhannisyanDepartment of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Katharina BeckampDepartment of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Hubert SchelzigDepartment of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Markus U WagenhäuserDepartment of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Ewa K StuermerClinic and Polyclinic for Vascular Medicine, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The local microenvironment of wounds plays a crucial role in healing, with pH and temperature emerging as promising biomarkers. This prospective, multi-center, observational study assessed pH and temperature in acute and chronic wounds to identify physicochemical patterns associated with healing. A total of 117 patients with various wound etiologies underwent 226 pH and 181 temperature measurements at the wound center, edge, and surrounding skin. With a pH of 7.113 ± 0.659 and 7.043 ± 0.694, chronic and non-healing wounds exhibited significantly higher pH values than acute (6.592 ± 0.617) and healing wounds (6.820 ± 0.814; p<.05), with the wound center showing the largest difference (ΔpH = 0.52). A pH gradient was observed, decreasing from wound center to surrounding skin. Longitudinal analysis revealed a weekly pH decline of 0.05 units in healing wounds. Temperature showed a similar downward trend over time, though differences between groups were less pronounced. These findings indicate that progressive acidification of the wound environment correlates with healing, while alkaline pH is associated with chronicity and infection. Local pH, more so than temperature, may serve as a non-invasive, dynamic biomarker for wound monitoring and as a potential therapeutic target. Further interventional studies are warranted to evaluate pH-monitoring and potential modulation by wound therapies.

Indexed as

Wound HealingWounds and InjuriesAgedBiomarkersChronic DiseaseFemaleHumansHydrogen-Ion ConcentrationMaleProspective StudiesSkinTemperatureBiomarkersChronic woundpHWound healingWound infectionWound micro-environmentWound temperature

Identifiers

PMID41896289
PMCPMC13035947

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.