Objective To explore the role of a nurse-led surgical wound management team in wound healing of thoracic surgical patients. Methods A total of 320 patients undergoing thoracic surgery were divided into a control group and an intervention group according to admission time, with 160 in each group. The control group was given routine management of surgical wounds, while the intervention group received patient-centered wound care provided by a nurse-led wound management team that developed work responsibilities and goals and optimized clinic work processes. Surgical wound healing, recovery, and satisfaction of patients were compared between the two groups. Results The intervention group showed better outcomes in local wound symptoms, wound hea-ling time, catheter indwelling time, length of hospital stay，incidence of would complications and anxiety compared with the control group (P＜0.05,P＜0.01). Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the intervention group than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. Conclusion Nurse-led surgical wound management program can facilitate wound healing in thoracic surgical patients, and enhance patient satisfaction and quality of nursing care.