Month: December 2017

Adimarket, a subsidiary of Global Stem Cells Group, has announced an agreement with biotechnology company Alolotl Biologix to distribute biological products for regenerative medicine applications worldwide.

Navamedic ASA (OSE: NAVA), the Norwegian medtech and pharmaceutical products company, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Chemviron Carbon Ltd. (Chemviron) for the launch and commercialisation of Zorflex® wound care contact dressings in Sweden and Finland. Zorflex®, a naturally antimicrobial, 100 percent activated carbon wound contact dressing, helps accelerate treatment of a wide range of chronic and non-chronic wounds …..
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While I’m on rounds with students I like to ask, “What is the active ingredient of hydrogel?” My query is usually met with puzzled looks. It’s a trick question, because the term “active ingredient” generally applies to pharmacologic agents that undergo metabolic change in biologic systems. The active ingredient of hydrogel which gives this substance its name is water. Compounds are added to thicken the mixture and provide viscosity, such as glycerine. Other ingredients common in cosmetics, such as aloe vera, methyl paraben, hydrogenated castor oil, and propyl paraben, are added to hydrogel depending on the manufacturer …
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At the 27th conference of the European Wound Management Association (EWMA), which was held in Amsterdam on May 3–5, 2017, a joint symposium was held between EWMA and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. The symposium was organised into two sessions. The first focused specifically on wound care issues and the second concerned antimicrobial stewardship programmes.
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A 62-year-old man presented with a left lower leg venous ulcer on the shin. The ulcer had high exudate levels, which was resulting in strike-through of dressings and there was some evidence of surrounding skin maceration. Investigations revealed an ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) of 1.4. ALLEVYN◊ LIFE Non-Bordered foam dressing (Smith & Nephew) was selected to manage and absorb high-levels of exudate and minimise the risk of trauma to the fragile surrounding skin. Multi-layer compression therapy was also used. After 3 weeks, the ulcer had reduced in size and there was a visible improvement in viable skin [Figures 2–5]. The patient found the dressing comfortable with excellent conformability to the lower leg and minimal pain on dressing removal …

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Smith & Nephew’s MolecuLight iX is designed to detect bacteria in hard-to-heal wounds using only light. MolecuLight i:X is already available in Canada, where its inventor stumbled across the idea for the device. Ralph DaCosta, MD, now a principal investigator at Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto, was a PhD student researching fluorescent imaging of gastrointestinal cancer in 2007. The big, expensive device he was using didn’t produce any green images, which would have indicated cancer, but a red image that he couldn’t identify ….
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The negative impact of wounds on patients is significant, and includes pain, reduced quality of life and social isolation. Optimal wound healing can reduce the burden of chronic wounds on patients and the health economy. The Triangle of Wound Assessment is a holistic framework that clinicians can use to improve wound assessment, with particular focus on the wound bed, wound edge and periwound skin (World Union of Wound Healing Societies, 2016). This framework can help guide clinicians to select the most appropriate and effective intervention to improve patient outcomes and to ensure prudent use of healthcare resources …
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Nursing has given me great opportunities; some of them I never imagined possible. I started as a medical surgical nurse in an oncology unit where the treatment of the day was gauze soaked in Dakin’s solution for the management of post op radical neck surgery. I moved on to intensive care, travel nursing, Army nursing, and endoscopy. It was in endoscopy and working with the colorectal surgeons, who helped me get my clinical experience while pursuing a master’s degree in nursing, where I found out that it all could be tied together with a certification in wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC), and a wound care nurse is born!

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Patients who deliberately self-harm and cause skin and tissue trauma are increasing in number across primary and secondary care settings (Nice, 2011b). Self-harm has often been considered a taboo subject and an unnecessary burden to the NHS (Kilroy-Findley and Bateman, 2016). Despite the growing need for effective care, services for assessment, diagnosis and intervention are often overstretched and unable to meet the holistic needs of patients who self-harm (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2011a; Mind, 2013) …
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The worldwide volume of surgery is considerable, with an estimated 234.2mn major surgical procedures carried out every year (Weiser et al, 2008). While contemporary surgical procedures are relatively safe, complications such as surgical wound dehiscence, although not commonplace, are a major disruptor to patient wellbeing and wound healing outcomes. Moreover, the importance of classification, documentation and reporting of this type of wound must not be underestimated. Accurate diagnosis and reporting of the type of dehiscence and underlying aetiology is key to understanding the extent of the problem. This paper presents a novel classification system that uses a systematic approach for the diagnosis of the type of dehiscence following surgery …

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The prevalence of diabetes is rising globally with increasing budgetary
burdens from the disease and its complications. In resource-limited
environments, affordable treatment strategies are urgently needed. Wound
care utilises diverse modalities, such as hydrogel, polyurethane and alginate
dressings, as well as silver-containing agents. Honey is a well established
treatment and is cost-effective. In a resource-limited setting, the authors detail
a case report whereby the use of an affordable, easy-to-use agent was used
in conjunction with patient education and self-care, which resulted in rapid
wound healing without side-effects …

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October 4, 2017 – A new study published online in the International Society For Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research’s (ISPOR) Value in Health journal demonstrates the economic impact of chronic nonhealing wounds in Medicare patients. The findings highlight the need for Federal research funding, quality measures and reimbursement models that are relevant to wound care. Such measures are not currently included under Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) payment policies, including the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

The study, “An Economic Evaluation of the Impact, Cost, and Medicare Policy Implications of Chronic Nonhealing Wounds,” analyzed the Medicare 5% Limited Data Set for calendar year 2014 and determined that chronic nonhealing wounds impact nearly 15% (8.2 million) of Medicare beneficiaries, far more than suggested by previous studies. Furthermore, conservative estimates for total Medicare annual spending for all wound types ranged from $28.1 billion to $31.7 billion. Treatment and management of infected or re-opened (dehisced) surgical wounds account for the highest per-wound costs. Hospital outpatient care drove the highest site-of-service costs, demonstrating the shift from hospital inpatient to outpatient services in the wound care space …

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For individuals with diabetes, all wounds are a serious health concern and require careful attention. Because of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, skin cuts and blisters often go unnoticed until they become more complicated to heal. In addition, internal wounds such as ingrown toenails, skin ulcers, or calluses can cause breakdown of tissue and an increased risk of infection. Even small cuts and insect bites can cause wound healing difficulties in patients with diabetes. Here are common factors of diabetes that impact wound healing …

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Prevention is one of the most important components of wound and ostomy care. Factors such as hydration, pressure, excessive moisture, cleanliness, and erythema can all affect wound healing rate, patient comfort, and the incidence of new wounds. By taking a proactive stance, health care professionals can reduce the risk of infection, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes.¹

Why Preventative Skin Care is Important

Wounds affect 35% of all hospice patients, and 120,000 new ostomy surgeries are performed each year.^2,3 This makes these two of the most prevalent conditions faced by nurses and other health care professionals …

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Wrapping wounds is an art, and hence, it comes easily to some and more difficult to others. This post won’t make you a wound dressing artist, but it does provide some tips for good bandaging techniques. The word “bandage” (in the US) often refers to a primary dressing, so “wrap” better describes a bandage that is long, narrow, and may be used to secure a primary dressing or obtain graduated compression on a limb.

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