Category: Articles

Healogics®, the nation’s leading provider of advanced chronic wound care services, today unveiled their Patient Engagement program. Through this program, patients will receive text message reminders for their appointments as well as links to educational videos, relevant articles and instructions related to wound and ostomy care … “Wound care as a specialty relies heavily on patients’ willingness and ability to adhere to their prescribed plan of care,” says Dr. William Ennis, DO, MBA, MMM, Healogics Chief Medical Officer. “By engaging patients where they are, and encouraging appointment attendance, the Patient Engagement program has reduced appointment cancellations supporting care plan adherence.” … The new program has two-way engagement, meaning Healogics team members can see patients’ responses in real time. If a patient has to cancel, a team member will proactively call the patient to reschedule the appointment to avoid any delays in care. During the program’s pilot, Healogics saw an eight percent reduction in appointment cancellations, which means eight percent more people received the life-changing care … read more

    Healthcare Professionals Searchable Access to Clinical Studies and Silverlon Products by Specialty

Argentum Medical, LLC and Cura Surgical launched its new website for its Silverlon® antimicrobial wound care technology (https://www.silverlon.com). The robust website gives surgeons and other healthcare professionals — both in civilian and in military settings — convenient access to the science and clinical research supporting the most evidence-based silver-based dressings available today.

Users of the new Silverlon website can quickly find Silverlon wound care products by specialty, including surgical, wound care, burn, catheter and negative pressure contact dressings. The site includes educational videos to explain the antimicrobial advantage of silver ions as well as instructional videos on the proper use of Silverlon dressings in a number of clinical settings.

The website also features a searchable index of independent, peer-reviewed, clinical studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of Silverlon technology across multiple specialties including surgical, venous catheter, wound and burn care. Recent clinical studies include research conducted by the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the University of South Florida/Tampa General Hospital’s central line catheter-related infection (CLABSI) study published in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.

“Our new website is designed to give surgeons and other medical professionals an efficient resource to explore the science and robust body of clinical research supporting the advantages of Silverlon dressings as part of a comprehensive infection prevention bundle,” said Raul Brizuela, president and CEO of Cura Surgical and Argentum Medical … read more

     in diabetes: a national observational study

     in the UK, Denmark, and Sweden: An observer-masked, randomised controlled trial

The LeucoPatch device uses bedside centrifugation without additional reagents to generate a disc comprising autologous leucocytes, platelets, and fibrin, which is applied to the surface of the wound. We aimed to test the effectiveness of LeucoPatch on the healing of hard-to-heal foot ulcers in people with diabetes … This was a multicentre, international, observer-masked, randomised controlled trial of people with diabetes and a hard-to-heal foot ulcer done in 32 specialist diabetic foot clinics in three countries (UK, Denmark, and Sweden). After a 4-week run-in period, those with a reduction in ulcer area of less than 50% were randomly allocated (1:1) by computer-generated, web-based randomisation … read more

Read the full article on The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology

MARIETTA, Ga. /PRNewswire/ —MiMedx (NASDAQ: MDXG), a leading developer and marketer of regenerative and therapeutic biologics, today announced that five poster abstracts reporting on the Company’s EpiFix® dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane (dHACM) allograft and EpiCord® dehydrated human umbilical cord (dHUC) allograft will be presented at the Desert Foot 15th Annual Multi-Disciplinary Limb Salvage Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference begins Wednesday, November 7, 2018, and concludes on Saturday, November 10, 2018.

MiMedx will sponsor a symposium entitled, “Clinical Efficacy of EpiFix and AmnioFix dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allografts in Surgical and Wound Care Applications” on Wednesday, November 7^th in the Phoenix Ballroom main lecture hall. The symposium faculty and presenters include Ray Ortega, MD, MiMedx Medical Director, and Jeremy Lim, PhD, Senior R&D Engineer at MiMedx.

Dr. Ortega, a former Army Special Forces Officer (Green Beret) and Medical Corps plastic surgeon, will review two recent EpiFix and EpiCord multicenter DFU randomized control trial (RCTs) studies … read more

Diabetic Foot Australia (DFA) was established in 2015 with the goal of ending avoidable amputations within a generation in Australia. As a key initiative of the Wound Management Innovation CRC, we engaged the expertise of multiple partner organisations across Australia to create a national diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) body for Australia. On the 1st July 2018, Diabetic Foot Australia joined the Australian Diabetes Society’s (ADS) stable of national diabetes clinical and research programs …. download Australian Diabetes-Related Foot Disease Strategy (PDF)

EDISON, N.J., Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — MTF Biologics, the world’s largest tissue bank, and Academy Medical, a certified Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that specializes in providing medical products, tissues and devices to government agencies, have joined forces to bring advanced human allograft tissues to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) medical centers across the country. MTF Biologics has joined Academy Medical’s supplier network, ensuring that MTF Biologics’ portfolio of tissue innovations, used to treat a variety of acute and chronic wounds, orthopedic conditions, and plastic and reconstructive surgery needs, are available to healthcare providers serving veterans at VA facilities.

As a result of this partnership with Academy Medical, MTF Biologics tissues have been added to Academy Medical’s Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC) Biologics and Biological Implants Contract and their National Acquisition Center (NAC) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Together, Academy Medical and MTF Biologics now offer the broadest portfolio of bone, dermis, placenta and other tissues to address the needs of our veterans and military personnel.

“Academy Medical has a great track record of connecting government healthcare providers with medical innovations,” said Thomas Shaffer, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at MTF Biologics.  “We are excited to partner with the Academy Medical team to bring innovations in tissue transplantation to our nation’s veterans. Our organizations share a commitment to ensuring that physicians have access to the medical advances, tools and technologies they need to meet the needs of their patients. This partnership achieves this commitment while also furthering MTF Biologics’ Mission of saving and healing lives.” … read more

Mӧlnlycke® will launch Mepilex® Border Flex at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care Fall meeting (SAWC Fall) 2-4 November in Las Vegas. The new Mepilex® Border Flex dressing was specifically engineered to support fewer dressing changes, reducing dressing costs and waste, while creating an optimal healing environment.

‘We believe that the Mepilex Border Flex dressing may change the way wound care experts practice because its features effectively support undisturbed wound healing,’ says Randy Schwartz, Vice President of Marketing. ‘Less frequent dressing changes benefit the patient, caregiver and the wound healing process. The product’s unique structure enhances conformability and its exudate management properties and allows it to remain in place for longer wear times. These features will positively impact cost.‘

Mӧlnlycke will feature the dressing in its booth and is sponsoring a complimentary breakfast symposium at the Fall SAWC conference, ‘Novel Technology for Advanced Wound Dressings: Early Clinical Experience.’ The session will examine the role of dressing conformability and exudate management in supporting undisturbed healing of acute and chronic wounds. The presenters will also share their experience with the new dressing and examine its impact on clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and cost savings.

Renowned wound care expert Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD will lead the symposium which features Oscar Alvarez, PhD and Deborah Nelson RN, BSN, CWOCN who will discuss their clinical experience with the product. The symposium will take place on Sunday, 4 November at 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM … read more

     Resource Center and Highlights Latest Wound Care Research at SAWC Fall 2018

CANTON, Mass. and LAS VEGAS, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Organogenesis Inc., a leading regenerative medicine company committed to empowering healing, will celebrate the launch of the Advancing Healing Education Resource Center, a continuing medical education microsite covering the latest clinical and practical developments in wound healing, as well as showcase the company’s latest product research during the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Fall 2018 meeting held this week in Las Vegas.

Made possible through an educational grant from Organogenesis to the North American Center for Continuing Medical Education (NACCME), the Advancing Healing Education Resource Center will feature accredited educational activities designed to improve the care of patients with repair and regenerative needs across the continuum of care. Topics will include healing of musculoskeletal injuries, including degenerative conditions, and the treatment of chronic and acute wounds … read more

MARIETTA, Ga., Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — MiMedx Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDXG), a leading developer and marketer of regenerative and therapeutic biologics, today announced that five poster abstracts highlighting studies on the Company’s EpiFix® dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane (dHACM) allograft and EpiCord® dehydrated human umbilical cord (dHUC) allograft will be presented at the 2018 Symposium on Advanced Wound Care Fall (SAWC Fall) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The SAWC, now in its 31^st year, is the official meeting for members of The Association for the Advancement of Wound Care and the leading national wound healing conference.

The conference begins Friday, November 2^nd and concludes on Sunday, November 4^th. MiMedx will be exhibiting in booth #207 during all booth times throughout the three-day meeting.

MiMedx will also sponsor a Breakfast Symposium entitled, “PURION® Processed Placental Based Allografts – The Use of Bioactive Tissue Matrices in the Treatment of Wounds,” on Friday, November 2^nd, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The presenters during the breakfast symposium will include:

• Michelle Massee, Manager of Biomedical Research, MiMedx
• William Tettelbach, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer, MiMedx
• James Stavosky, DPM

read more

     Combining 17 Years of Clinical Data With AI and 3D Imaging to Improve Patient Outcomes

BALTIMORE, Oct. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Wound Care Advantage, a leading provider of management and consulting services for outpatient wound care and hyperbaric medicine programs, today announced a partnership with Tissue Analytics, the world’s leading mobile imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) platform for wound management. The partnership allows for WCA to leverage its clinical expertise and 17 years of clinical data with Tissue Analytics’ imaging and AI to improve the accuracy of measurement during wound assessments and provide better insights into the efficacy of wound treatments to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs … Chronic wounds affect about 6.5 million people in the U.S., many stemming from diabetes and/or vascular insufficiency. These wounds have a slow healing process and require frequent monitoring and measurement of progress by a specialized wound care team. Research has shown that automatic smartphone measurements help to eliminate the high degree of interrater and intrarater reliability often encountered when using a traditional ruler … read more

     and chronic wounds

Healogics®, the nation’s wound healing expert, is proud to participate in a national diabetes awareness campaign October 29 through November 2. This campaign will highlight the important connection between diabetes and chronic wounds and their recurrence. Throughout this week, Wound Care Centers® from across the country will dedicate their time to visiting local physician offices to provide education on the treatment of potential or existing chronic wounds for people also living with diabetes … An estimated 30.3 million people in the United States have diabetes, and the percentage of adults with diabetes increases with age, reaching a high of 25.2 percent among those aged 65 years or older. In addition to age, risk factors for diabetes also include diet, activity level, obesity and heredity. Approximately one in four people living with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer. Even more alarmingly, people with healed a diabetic foot ulcer have a recurrence rate of nearly 40 percent within the first year … read more

Here’s a story about a foot ulcer and it’s tragic result in a diabetic with several other health problems. This is an attempt to inform people with diabetes about the vital necessity of foot inspection and care. It goes like this … Someone familiar, who will be Uncle Al for this yarn, had his left foot and lower leg amputated because of a diabetic foot ulcer he didn’t even know he had, because he never looked. Uncle Al has been a very happy fellow throughout his life. He had known he has diabetes for quite a while. He also has had a heart attack, and more lately congestive heart failure of controllable nature — if he watches it … read more

     short-term survival in people with diabetic foot ulcers (study)

Ankle-brachial index (ABI) is the most commonly used test when diagnosing peripheral vascular disease and is considered a marker for cardiovascular risk. Transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO₂), a test associated with microvascular function, has in several studies shown better correlation with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) healing. Whether a low TcPO₂ could be a marker for mortality in the high-risk population of DFU patients has not been evaluated before. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of TcPO₂ in comparison with ABI and toe blood pressure (TBP) on 1-year mortality in type 2 diabetes patients with DFU …. read more

Diabetic foot complications are the most common occurring problems throughout the globe, resulting in devastating economic crises for the patients, families and society. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) have a neuropathic origin with a progressive prevalence rate in developing countries compared with developed countries among diabetes mellitus patients. Diabetic patients that are of greatest risk of ulcers may easily be diagnosed with foot examination. Economic burden may be carefully examined. The budget costing must include both the clinical and social impact of the patients … Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder imparting loss in health and economic burden on patients and healthcare machinery around the globe. As the present world is facing an epidemic of both type 1 and type 2 DM, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has focused on the micro and macrovascular complications associated with DM. In 2005, the IDF committed to execute the management approach for diabetic foot diseases. The risk for developing foot ulcers is 25% high in patients with diabetes and it is also reported that every 30 seconds, one lower limb amputation in diabetes patients occurred around the world. The IDF has now become proactive and declared in its mandate that now is the time to increase awareness about the foot complications associated with DM in scenarios of social, personal, clinical and economic costs … read more

There are some surprising statistics about how common diabetic foot ulcers are, how often they can lead to amputation and the ultimate cost of having a foot ulcer that results in an amputation …. read more

October 25, 2018–(BRONX, NY)–By incorporating a gene-suppressing drug into an over-the-counter gel, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and their colleagues cut healing time by half and significantly improved healing outcomes compared to control treatments. Results from the combination therapy, which was tested in mice, were published online today in Advances in Wound Care …”Not only did wound healing occur more rapidly and completely, but actual regeneration occurred, with hair follicles and the skin’s supportive collagen network restored in wounded skin–clinically important improvements that are unprecedented in wound care,” says senior author David J. Sharp, Ph.D, professor of physiology & biophysics at Einstein. “We foresee this therapy having broad application for all sorts of wounds … read more

     closure combined with photon therapy for management of diabetic foot ulcers

Background: Diabetes mellitus, one of the most prevalent chronic metabolic diseases, causes many complications. Among the complications, one of the most common chronic complications is diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).
Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy using vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) combined with photon therapy for the management of DFUs … Patients and methods: The study included a total of 69 patients with DFUs during the period from January 2014 to December 2015. All patients were diagnosed with DFUs with Wagner’s stage 2 or 3 and were divided into two groups – the VAC group in which patients received only VAC and the combined group in which patients received both VAC and photon therapy. Data on duration of the treatment, pre- and postoperative wound surface areas, dressing changing times, pain conditions assessed using visual analog scale scores, recurrence rate and amputation rate were collected … Results: Among all patients, 35 patients were divided into the VAC group and 34 patients into the  …. read more

     and Prevent Diabetic Foot Ulcers

More than 100 million adults in the United States live with diabetes or prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people know that common complications of the disease include increased thirst, weight loss and fatigue … But fewer may know about another side effect: diabetic foot ulcers, which affect nearly 25 percent of individuals and are one of the disease’s most prevalent complications. Patients with ulcers can’t put weight on the affected area in order to facilitate healing (and avoid infection) … Still, those ulcers are responsible for about 80,000 nontraumatic amputations nationwide each year — surgery that comes with a five-year mortality rate of up to 40 percent … read more

     to Dispense Wound Care Supplies

Hippocratic Solutions, an outsourced podiatry billing firm, has announced a partnership with iRemedy, a leading ecommerce medical supplies provider. The partnership will allow podiatrists to prescribe, bill for, and dispense advanced wound care supplies through their DME license … iRemedy, an industry leader in ecommerce medical supplies and medical business consulting, has recently partnered with Hippocratic Solutions … “Integrating iRemedy with Hippocratic Solutions is a real breakthrough that is going to take our Advanced Wound Care Program to the next level,” said Tony Paquin, CEO of iRemedy Healthcare. “We’re excited to work with Peter Koukounasand the Hippocratic Solutions team.” … Alongside outsourced podiatry billing services, Hippocratic Solutions clients will now have instant online access to iRemedy’s online platform with the ability to submit and manage prescriptions for their patients with chronic wounds. Podiatrists will be able to file and bill for wound care prescriptions directly through iRemedy, who will audit the prescription for the podiatrist and handle insurance preauthorization and any insurance denials …”Most podiatrists don’t think they can dispense and profit from wound care supplies through their license, but this just isn’t true,” said Peter Koukounas, CEO of Hippocratic Solutions. “By partnering with iRemedy, we’re helping podiatrists earn greater profits while drastically improving patient outcomes.”

… read more

     for regenerative tissue therapy, MyOwn Skin™

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — BioLab Sciences, an innovator in regenerative medicine technologies, today announced its exclusively licensed technology for MyOwn SkinTM, a painless, non-surgical procedure, which leverages a patient’s own skin to produce full-thickness skin grafts in 5-7 days.

MyOwn SkinTM is a revolutionary approach that uses a patient’s own skin to accelerate healing of chronic wounds, burns, diabetic foot ulcers and other difficult-to-heal wounds. By utilizing a small skin sample, this regenerative approach allows the body to heal itself and is less likely to face infection or rejection.

“In the United States alone, chronic wounds affect 6.5 million patients,” said Bob Maguire, BioLab Sciences CEO. “Our advanced, tissue-biomanufacturing approach offers a viable, effective solution for skin regeneration and repair. This innovative strategy has shown to accelerate the healing of damaged soft tissue and improve wound-care outcomes.”

This autologous strategy to wound care is non-invasive, improves recovery time, and eliminates potential rejection. BioLab’s impressive portfolio of regenerative products includes its amnion-derived fluid products, Fluid FlowTM and Amnio RestoreTM and its amniotic allograft membrane product Membrane PatchTM, an amnion membrane allograft …

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arizona-based-biotech-startup-biolab-sciences-announces-patent-for-regenerative-tissue-therapy-myown-skin-300736690.html

Researchers have found that smoking electronic cigarettes could slow the healing of skin wounds as much as regular cigarettes, according to a new study on rats – but admit that further studies are warranted … Smoking electronic cigarettes could slow the healing of skin wounds as much as regular cigarettes, according to a new study on rats … “Based on our findings, e-cigarettes are not a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes as it relates to timely wound healing,” said study corresponding author Dr Jeffrey Spiegel. He’s chief of facial plastic surgery at Boston Medical Center … It’s long been known that smoking regular cigarettes impairs wound healing, and surgery patients are advised to avoid smoking for several months before an elective operation … read more

By combining antibiotics and probiotics, researchers have developed a one-two punch to eradicate two strains of drug-resistant bacteria that often infect wounds, according to a preclinical study … MIT researchers encapsulated probiotic bacteria in a protective shell of alginate, which is a biocompatible material that prevents the probiotics from being killed by the antibiotic. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Advanced Materials … Probiotics, which are good live bacteria and yeasts, help send food through the digestive system by affecting nerves that control gut movement. Probiotics come from supplements, as well as foods that are prepared by bacterial fermentation, including yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh and kimchi … read more

related: Probiotics and antibiotics create a killer combination

Most Expansive Wound Care Portfolio

Acelity L.P. Inc., the world’s largest wound care company, and Crawford Healthcare, a rapidly growing UK-based advanced wound care and dermatology company, today announced an agreement for Acelity to acquire Crawford and all of its assets. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

With the acquisition of Crawford, Acelity expands its portfolio of advanced wound dressings (AWD), further strengthening its position as the global leader in advanced wound healing.

Crawford Healthcare is a recognized leader in developing and commercializing innovative treatments for the care and repair of skin. Crawford’s wound dressing portfolio includes the market-leading superabsorbent KerraMax Care® range and KerraFoam and KerraCel in the foam and antimicrobial gelling fiber AWD categories, respectively.

Crawford’s advanced wound dressing lines complement Acelity’s existing AWD portfolio, which includes the market-leading collagen dressing PROMOGRAN PRISMA™ Matrix, as well as the TIELLE™ Dressing Family and ADAPTIC™ Dressings. This expanded line of advanced wound dressings combined with Acelity’s industry-leading negative pressure wound therapy platforms forms the world’s most expansive wound care portfolio. In addition to its commercial products, Acelity will acquire Crawford’s innovative R&D capabilities and manufacturing operations based in Cheshire, UK … read more

     Association Compendium: Diagnosis and Management of Diabetic Foot Complications

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Healogics Inc., the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services, today announced their support of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Compendium Diagnosis and Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Complications through an unrestricted educational grant1. More than 30 million people across the U.S. are living with diabetes, and foot problems including foot ulcers are common complications that, without proper treatment, can lead to hospital admissions and even amputations. The ADA Compendium was compiled by a panel of contributing authors and distributed this month to health care professionals who subscribe to the ADA’s peer-reviewed journals Diabetes Care and Diabetes. Healogics is passionate about providing wound care for the 25 percent of diabetics who will experience a foot ulcer at some point in their life2 … “We are proud to support the ADA in their efforts to better understand the latest evidence for treating diabetic foot ulcers,” said David Bassin, Healogics Chief Executive Officer. “We are thrilled that through our unrestricted grant to the ADA, the Compendium was published with a focus on diabetic foot complications.” … read more

     what is needed to do this in a real‐world primary care setting?

To determine how routinely collected data can inform a risk model to predict de novofoot ulcer presentation in the primary care setting … Data were available on 15 727 individuals without foot ulcers and 1125 individuals with new foot ulcers over a 12‐year follow‐up in UK primary care. We examined known risk factors and added putative risk factors in our logistic model … read more

     announces patent for regenerative tissue therapy, MyOwn Skin™

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — BioLab Sciences, an innovator in regenerative medicine technologies, today announced its exclusively licensed technology for MyOwn SkinTM, a painless, non-surgical procedure, which leverages a patient’s own skin to produce full-thickness skin grafts in 5-7 days.

MyOwn SkinTM is a revolutionary approach that uses a patient’s own skin to accelerate healing of chronic wounds, burns, diabetic foot ulcers and other difficult-to-heal wounds. By utilizing a small skin sample, this regenerative approach allows the body to heal itself and is less likely to face infection or rejection.

“In the United States alone, chronic wounds affect 6.5 million patients,” said Bob Maguire, BioLab Sciences CEO. “Our advanced, tissue-biomanufacturing approach offers a viable, effective solution for skin regeneration and repair. This innovative strategy has shown to accelerate the healing of damaged soft tissue and improve wound-care outcomes.”

This autologous strategy to wound care is non-invasive, improves recovery time, and eliminates potential rejection. BioLab’s impressive portfolio of regenerative products includes its amnion-derived fluid products, Fluid FlowTM and Amnio RestoreTM and its amniotic allograft membrane product Membrane PatchTM, an amnion membrane allograft composed of a connective tissue matrix that regenerates soft tissue while inhibiting inflammation and scarring. BioLab Sciences also offers a comprehensive wound care kit that provides physicians with the necessary tools to help patients recover quickly from diabetic ulcers, burns and other traumatic external wounds, as well as its Amnio Breathe Nebulizer bundled package designed to deliver a topical treatment directly onto a patient’s respiratory system …

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arizona-based-biotech-startup-biolab-sciences-announces-patent-for-regenerative-tissue-therapy-myown-skin-300736690.html

Poor wound healing in diabetes is associated with increased chronic inflammation and alterations in macrophage accumulation. Chronic inflammation can alter the phenotype of macrophage precursors, monocytes but whether their phenotype is changed in association with wound healing is not known. Blood was obtained from 21 patients (14 male: 7 female) attending the High Risk Foot Clinic at RPA Hospital at their initial visit (V1), week 4 (V2) and week 8 (V3). Wound area was measured and wound type was assessed by a podiatrist. Monocyte number (CD14⁺), phenotype as classical (CD16⁻), non-classical (CD16⁺⁺), and intermediate (CD16⁺), anti-inflammatory (CD163⁺) subset and expression of receptors CCR2, CCR5 and TLR2, TLR4 were determined by flow cytometry. The MMPs and TIMP-1 were measured in plasma by zymography and ELISA. Over the 8 weeks, 6 ulcers healed (H) and 15 failed to heal (NH). The age, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, wound size and duration at V1 were not different between the groups but the % CD16⁺⁺ monocytes was higher in H vs. NH at V1 (23.5 vs. 8.3) and V3 (17.4 vs. 7.2) and monocyte CCR2⁺ was lower in H at V3  … read more

Objective assessment of wound healing is fundamental to evaluate therapeutic and nutritional interventions and to identify complications. Despite availability of many techniques to monitor wounds, there is a need for a safe, practical, accurate, and effective method. A new method is localized bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) that noninvasively provides information describing cellular changes that occur during healing and signal complications to wound healing. This article describes the theory and application of localized BIA and provides examples of its use among patients with lower leg wounds. This promising method may afford clinicians a novel technique for routine monitoring of interventions and surveillance of wounds … read more

     How to Keep Yourself out of Court: Part 1

No matter the setting in which we practice, as health care providers we constantly are under the threat of a malpractice lawsuit. In nursing homes the top targets for litigation are pressure ulcers, malnutrition, and dehydration. Up to 20% of all U.S. legal medical claims and more than 10% of settlements are wound related,¹ and there are more than 17,000 pressure ulcer-related lawsuits filed annually in the United States … So, it behooves us to take the necessary measures to avoid being sued! What are the perils and pitfalls of wound care that we may encounter in our practice, and how can we best avoid them? This blog explores the various elements that can make or break a case … read more

     as One of the Best Abstracts Presented at the Leading Diabetic Foot Global Conference

The number of biotech companies completing an IPO has swelled this year and Adynxx aims to join their ranks—but through an alternate path. The pain drug developer has agreed to combine operations with publicly traded Alliqua Biomedical … Under the merger agreement announced Friday, shares of Adynxx will convert into Alliqua (NASDAQ: ALQA) stock, leaving former Adynxx shareholders owning approximately 86 percent of the combined company. That company will have the Adynxx name and will be led by the current Adynnx management team. It will be headquartered in San Francisco, where Adynxx is currently based … read more

Diabetic foot ulcers are a major health and economic global burden, but ultimately, at least in theory, they’re preventable. The re-ulceration rate is as high as 65% within 5 years, and among persons who initially present with a diabetic foot ulcer, up to 25% may require amputation … One of the most important risk factors for diabetic foot ulceration is diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This involves loss of sensory perception, haptic feedback, and pain perception, so patients can’t self-regulate their foot pressures. It’s thought that these high foot pressures over time cumulatively contribute to the development of diabetic foot ulcers … read more

Throughout my career I have been lucky enough to be part of several nursing branches: home health, long-term care, acute care, long-term acute care hospital, hospice, and even a tuberculosis hospital; wounds have no limitations on where they will appear. As a passionate clinician, teaching, coaching, and mentoring have become a huge part of what I do, as is true for most clinicians. We are teachers, coaches, and mentors driven by passion and wanting to help and put in our “two clinical cents” or “stamp” on the industry … I frequently converse with clinicians in my area, all part of SWAT (skin and wound assessment team), and talk about how it takes a village. I especially enjoy talking with my good friend and mentor Jesse Cantu, RN, BSN, CWS, FACCWS, who is a passionate clinician with a fire that gets you all excited—those who know him know what I am talking about. We share stories of what we do, we give each other constructive criticism, and we often share with each other some of the most common inadequacies we see out there. We always get after each other, in a good way: are we doing enough? and how can we help educate, empower, increase awareness … read more

Digital health company delivers mobile depth imaging with submillimeter resolution and no need for specialty hardware. The product will be showcased at Cerner Health Conference, October 8-11, Kansas City, Missouri … “Tissue Analytics uses sophisticated algorithms that allow clinicians to generate and securely transfer clinical data from Android or iOS devices into the electronic medical record (EMR). Now, for the first time ever, I’m very excited and honored to present our 3D measurement feature that requires no external device attachments,” announced Joshua Budman, CTO. “From a very simple five-second video, we can now generate a true 3D rendering of any wound, to provide clients with volume and depth measurements at a submillimeter resolution.” … read more

Data From its Expanded Access Program for Serious S. aureus Infections at IDWeek 2018 Conference

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation (NYSE American:APHB), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on precisely targeted bacteriophage therapeutics for antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced the presentation of clinical case series data from the company’s ongoing expanded access program for its investigational bacteriophage therapeutic, AB-SA01 targeting Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), at the IDWeek 2018 conference in San Francisco … Prof. Jonathan Iredell, Senior Staff Infectious Diseases Physician at the Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Director of Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the Westmead Institute of Medical Research and Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at the University of Sydney, gave a presentation “Adjunctive bacteriophage therapy for severe Staphylococcal sepsis,” including data on 13 patients suffering from severe S. aureus infections, who were treated with AB-SA01 as an adjunct to antibiotics at the Westmead Hospital in 2017-2018. The potential treatment of S. aureus bacteremia with AB-SA01 was also the subject of the Company’s recent Type B meeting with the FDA. The treatment was conducted under emergency protocols per the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) Special Access Scheme (SAS) … read more

A local researcher is hoping to change the alarming rate of amputation due to diabetes in the province … Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate of diabetes in the country, and the highest rate of lower limb amputation due to diabetes … Kathleen Stevens is a Registered Nurse and PhD candidate at Memorial University’s School of Nursing … read more

Windsor skin care products provider Scapa Healthcare says it has completed its acquisition of an England-based maker of wound care products … Scapa is adding Systagenix and its 335,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Gargrave, England to its wound care footprint. Financial terms were not disclosed … read more

Protein–energy malnutrition is known to be involved in wound healing. While wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) is a complex and multifactorial process, the role of malnutrition in this case has rarely been explored. The objective of this study was to determine whether the nutritional status of diabetic patients influences the healing of DFU … 48 patients were included in this prospective, single-center study. All patients with comorbidities or factors involving malnutrition or influencing biological measurements were excluded. Patients were followed up for 24 weeks … read more at Acta Diabetologica (purchase required)

     developing incident diabetic foot ulcers

BERLIN — Wearing pressure-sensing smart insoles (SurroSense Rx, Orpyx Medical Technologies) reduced diabetic foot ulcer recurrence by up to 86% in compliant patients in a randomized single-blinded trial in high-risk individuals with type 1 and 2 diabetes … Neil Reeves, PhD, professor of musculoskeletal biomechanics, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, presented the results here today at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2018 Annual Meeting …“By using a plantar pressure-sensing smart insole device, the feedback of pressure information in the intervention arm reduces ulcer recurrence by 71%, and furthermore in the compliant patients, this further increased benefit, with an 86% reduction in ulcer recurrence [compared with controls],” he reported … read more

Bioactive glass implants are commonly used in orthopedics and dentistry as they can form strong and direct bonds with bone. The capability of bioactive glass to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels also makes them ideal for wound healing …Bioactive glasses are a group of surface-reactive glass-ceramic biomaterials. The first bioactive glass was developed in 1969 by Larry L. Hench at the University of Florida … This material was formed using silicate glass in order to enhance the mechanical and bioactive properties needed for applications in bone regeneration … read more

MTF Biologics today announced that it has formed a new tissue recovery relationship with Regenerative Biologics, Inc. (RBI). Together, the organizations will seek to provide expanded birth tissue donation opportunities for expectant mothers and their families and enhance patients’ access to high-quality placental tissues for wound care applications … Joe Yaccarino, President and CEO of MTF Biologics added, “MTF Biologics is pleased to partner with RBI again as it combines the key strengths of each of our organizations and expands donation opportunities. We’ve known many of the senior staff at RBI for years and are excited to be collaborating with them again.” … read more

An October report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics revealed a startling increase in the prevalence of obesity in the U.S., with rates now approaching 20% in children and 40% in adults for 2015-2016 … The growing epidemic has not spared those with type 1 diabetes. Today, obesity prevalence is as high or higher among patients with type 1 diabetes as in the general population. According to 2015 data from the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry, nearly 40% of children and adolescents with the disease also have overweight or obesity, putting them at increased risk for insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia — all the hallmarks of not type 1, but type 2 diabetes … read more

Demonstrating That Lyopreservation Method Developed for Living Tissues is an Alternative to Cryopreservation with the Convenience of Ambient Storage

COLUMBIA, Md., Oct. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIR), a regenerative medicine company focused on developing and marketing products for wound care, orthopedics, and sports medicine, announced today that a new peer-reviewed manuscript entitled “Properties of Viable Lyopreserved Amnion Are Equivalent to Viable Cryopreserved Amnion with the Convenience of Ambient Storage” has been published in PLOS ONE and is available online https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0204060 … In the published study the structural, molecular, and wound relevant properties of a lyopreserved human amniotic membrane were compared with the properties of a cryopreserved human amniotic membrane. Results showed that the structure, growth factors, and cell viability of the lyopreserved amnion are comparable to that of cryopreserved and fresh amnions. Properties of lyopreserved and cryopreserved amniotic membranes were tested in vivo in a diabetic mouse chronic wound model, which mimics impaired wound healing reported in diabetic patients. Both lyopreserved and cryopreserved amnion weekly applications resulted in wound closure by day 35 whereas in the saline gel control group of animals wounds became larger … read more

Thermal imaging can better predict a diabetes related foot ulcer’s size and the healing trajectory than conventional methods, Melbourne-led research has found. It could also possibly save money through better targeted treatment … The study, which was the first of its kind, was a collaboration between RMIT University, the University of Melbourne and Austin Health. It used thermal imaging to quantify the size and predict the healing status of recently developed ulcers … based on their work, the RMIT researchers want to see thermal imaging, which is suitable for most clinical settings, used as an inexpensive and real-time option to identify wounds that may have delayed healing … read more

A low dose of calcipotriol, which is already approved for the treatment of psoriasis, may improve healing and prevent wound infections in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), a study showed … treatment with calcipotriol ointment helped close a chronic wound in one patient and eliminated harmful bacteria growing inside it. The compound was also able to enhance skin cells’ defenses against microbial growth and reduce cancer proliferation in skin cells of RDEB patients … read more

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate approximately 30 million surgical procedures are performed annually in the United States.1 Advances in technology have afforded patients options such as minimally invasive surgery, commonly known as laparoscopic or arthroscopic surgery, which tend to result in much smaller (1cm–2cm) incisions … However, some procedures necessitate larger incisions of varying size, potentially 10cm–20cm or greater, depending on type of procedure, body habitus, and anatomic area involved. These longer incisions create larger surgical wounds with greater potential for chronicity and complications … read more

This Quick Guide outlines how using a partnership of tried and tested AQUACEL dressings can provide effective wound management. The focus is on AQUACEL Extra dressing, which is designed to lock in harmful bacteria, micro-contour to the wound bed to maintain optimal moisture balance and reduce ‘dead space’ where bacteria can grow, and respond to wound conditions by forming a cohesive gel when in contact with exudate … read more

     in critical limb ischaemia patients after endovascular intervention

Preliminary findings from an initial study with 25 patients have shown that measuring the changes in oxygen concentration at baseline, during, and after endovascular revascularisation, can predict wound healing and functional improvement in critical limb ischaemia patients … Marianne Brodmann, Medical University Graz, Austria, presented the initial OMNIA study results that used the Lumee oxygen platform (Profusa) as a unique tool to assess and clinical management of critical limb ischaemia patients at the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC; 30 January–2 February 2018, Leipzig, Germany). The platform is designed to provide immediate feedback on the quality of revascularisation and along the entire course of the patient’s recovery. It uses hydrogel sensors that are injected into the skin of the patient that measure the oxygen concentration in the tissue … read more

Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) affects up to half of patients with diabetes and is a major cause of functional impairment and increased mortality. Its clinical manifestations include sensations such as burning, stabbing and tingling and/or loss of sensation, and it increases the risk for injuries and foot ulceration. Oral pharmacological therapy is the standard approach to management. It is effective in some patients, but its use is limited due to unfavourable side-effect profiles, limited response rates and drug interactions. Increasing evidence of the localized, non-systemic treatment approach of topical analgesics aims to overcome these obstacles and provide valuable, efficacious and safe management of PDN. This article reviews the rapidly expanding field of topical analgesia in managing PDN … read more

This document originated in 2001 as a joint position statement from a collaborative effort of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.1,2 Its purpose was to review the evidence about clean vs. sterile technique and present approaches for chronic wound care management. Then as now, areas of controversy exist due to a lack of agreement on the definitions of “clean” and “sterile” technique, lack of consensus as to when each is indicated in the management of chronic wounds, and lack of research to serve as a guide. Wound care practices are extremely variable and are frequently based on rituals and traditions as opposed to a scientific foundation … read more

     advocacy project

The European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) and EWMA are collaborating on a joint engagement in the PU prevention and patient safety agendas at the European level as well as at the national level in selected European countries.

Five articles by the joint EPUAP-EWMA initiative have now been published. The articles are available for download here:

The role of pressure ulcer prevention in the fight against antimicrobial resistance

EWMA & EPUAP added-value to OECD efforts

Diabetic Control & Pressure Ulcers: fighting fatal complications and
improving quality of life

Patient safety across Europe: the perspective of pressure ulcers.

The time to invest in patient safety and pressure ulcer prevention is now!

Patient safety has for some years been high on the European Commission health care agenda. At the EU level as well as at national levels of many European nations, considerable investments have been made by health care authorities to establish organisations and programmes addressing the patient safety agenda.

Looking at the patient safety agenda from a wound care perspective, the topic of Pressure Ulcer (PU) prevention has always been central due to the fact that most PU’s are preventable if the patient is managed correctly by health care staff … read more

     Load and Biofilm in Venous Leg Ulcers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) solution as a wound cleanser on bacterial load and bacterial biofilm in venous leg ulcers … The target population was adults attending the dermatology outpatient clinic of the Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The sample comprised 44 patients with venous leg ulcers recruited over a 6-month period … read more

Liraglutide lowers risk for amputation: investigators find patients treated with GLP-1 drug had significantly lower number of amputations compared to placebo group.

The word may still be out on whether certain oral diabetes medications puts patients at risk for lower limb complications, but a new study has shown that liraglutide is not one of them. A post hoc review analysis of the LEADER trial published in Diabetes Care examined the effects of Liraglutide on rates of foot ulceration and amputation in patients at high risk for cardiovascular (CV) events.

Liraglutide, a GLP-1 agonist, is an injectable glucose-lowering medication used in patients with type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 agonists act by mimicking the effects of the hormone GLP-1, which increases insulin secretion and lowers glucagon release. This, in effect, causes increased satiety and slowed gastric emptying, with one of the main benefits of GLP-1 agonists being weight loss in patients with diabetes … read more

BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, research undertaken by the UK’s House of Commons library at the request of the UK’s Labour Party revealed that diabetic foot and toe amputations performed by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has risen by 26 percent. Between April 2010 and March 2013, minor amputations due to diabetes numbered 15,075. This has risen to 19,073 in the same 3-year period of 2014 – 2017. Though the Department of Health and Social Care acknowledge that the rate of minor amputations has increased, it is also important to note that they state that the number of major amputations (above the ankle) has decreased. Regardless, diabetic foot amputations are estimated to cost the NHS over £44 million just in the year 2016.

Patients typically arrive at the point of requiring a lower limb amputation due to tissue necrosis resulting from an infected diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). DFUs are hard to heal wounds that remain open for extended time. Thus, extra care is required in keeping the wound clean and in preventing infection. DFUs are formed in the first place due to ischemia and neuropathy, two side effects of poor blood glucose management.

Clearly, the best intervention is to prevent the formation of DFUs in the first place. This may begin in good management of blood glucose to prevent ischemia and neuropathy, though sensor technologies can also be used for the express purpose of preventing DFUs. Once the wound is formed, preventing and treating any wound infection is critical. However, there are many factors that healthcare providers have to contend with during the treatment of DFUs … read more

SalvePeds:  An early-stage pharmaceutical company offering the novel drug ND-336 as a topical therapy for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. SalvePeds’ goal is to provide an effective, safe and convenient therapeutic treatment for DFUs to improve the quality of life for patients and ultimately decrease the number of ulcer related amputations. (University of Notre Dame) … from Inside Indiana Business

     as First-Line Treatment of DFUs in the Wound Clinic

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a major concern in the outpatient wound clinic due to the growing diabetes epidemic, the significant morbidity and mortality associated with DFUs, and the economic burden on the healthcare system. Despite a well-established standard of care for DFUs, which includes effective offloading as a cornerstone, there are gaps in practice with regard to clinical implementation of appropriate offloading. This article will provide a discussion of the evidence supporting the use of offloading as a standard of care for DFUs with a focus on total contact casting (TCC). In addition, we will discuss barriers to using TCC in clinical practice followed by an example of how one heavily trafficked wound clinic located in Texas has successfully implemented TCC and has experienced a positive impact on wound healing rates as well as clinic efficiency … read more

Support surfaces alone neither prevent nor heal pressure ulcers. They are to be used as part of a total program of prevention and treatment. When pressure ulcers deteriorate or fail to heal, the professional should consider replacing the existing support surface with one that will improve pressure redistribution and microclimate (heat and moisture control) for the individual. Changing the support surface is only one of several strategies to consider. The individual and his or her pressure ulcer should be re-evaluated. Preventive interventions and local wound care should also be intensified as needed. A significant increase in risk status may also prompt such re-evaluation of the individual and the support surface … read more

     in patients with soft tissue sarcoma with long-term follow-up

In a cohort of patients treated for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) with modern radiotherapy (RT) and surgical techniques, experts assessed the rates of acute and chronic wound complications and related factors. They identified all adult nonmetastatic patients treated for STS at a single institution between 2006 and 2015 with a minimum 1-year follow-up. In these patients, the rate of acute wound complications was 22.1%. In STS patients, numerous factors linked to acute and chronic wound complications, including the timing of RT, tumor site, and reconstruction use, were found. Results demonstrated the probable correlation between development of acute wound complications with a higher risk of chronic wound complications … read more

Corstrata, a provider of digital healthcare IT solutions and services for wound prevention and care management, announced today a partnership with Citus Health, a digital health solutions provider for the post-acute care industry, to power its next-generation virtual clinic. Corstrata will leverage Citus Health’s state-of-the-art patient and provider engagement platform to enable enhanced remote access to wound and ostomy care experts for wound and ostomy patients everywhere … Corstrata will utilize the Citus Health platform to serve its wound and ostomy customers, provider customers, and Diabetic Foot Ulcer Prevention members. Citus provides a versatile, leading-edge, patient and provider engagement architecture for enhanced care coordination and communication to improve clinical and financial outcomes. The Corstrata branded app powered by Citus Health will integrate key technologies, including wound image capture, video, patient engagement, and with the flexibility of the platform, streamline the capability to add third-party IoT data sources in the future … read more

BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, research undertaken by the UK’s House of Commons library at the request of the UK’s Labour Party revealed that diabetic foot and toe amputations performed by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has risen by 26 percent. Between April 2010 and March 2013, minor amputations due to diabetes numbered 15,075. This has risen to 19,073 in the same 3-year period of 2014 – 2017. Though the Department of Health and Social Care acknowledge that the rate of minor amputations has increased, it is also important to note that they state that the number of major amputations (above the ankle) has decreased. Regardless, diabetic foot amputations are estimated to cost the NHS over £44 million just in the year 2016 … read more

A new system that uses a multilayer patch made with a patient’s own leukocytes, platelets, and fibrin can speed the healing of diabetic foot ulcers, according to new findings … “The use of LeucoPatch is associated with significant enhancement of healing of hard-to-heal foot ulcers in people with diabetes,” Dr. Frances Game of Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the UK and colleagues conclude in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology online September 19 report … read more

Researchers have identified a new mechanism involving ginsenoside Rb1, which has the ability to stimulate keratinocyte migration and promote cutaneous wound healing. They report the results of a study showing that Rb1 enhances keratinocyte migration in an article published in Journal of Medicinal Food, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The researchers demonstrated that Rb1 significantly increases the production of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which is a signaling factor in keratinocytes known to stimulate wound repair through greater keratinocyte migration … read more

Comprehensive treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) includes moist local or topical wound care, serial sharp debridement, treatment of infection, mechanical offloading, glycemic control, nutritional management, and overall chronic disease management. These facets of therapy are best addressed by an interdisciplinary approach.

If we understand the principles of healing, what can we do to prevent the pathologic process of DFUs? Instituting measures to prevent development of DFUs can decrease morbidity and mortality. There are several organizations with guidelines for prevention of DFU and subsequent complications including amputation, infection, and loss of independence. This article will review the highlights of some of the most recent guidelines for DFU prevention … read more

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Healogics Inc., the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services, today announced they have joined the App Orchard to begin working on an integration to improve interoperability within their nationwide network of Wound Care Centers®. Currently, this integration is set to deploy in the fall of 2019.

This integration will allow discrete data flow between systems with a goal to reduce errors for hospital compliance and audits, eliminate redundant double entry work for Wound Care Centers and foster better partnerships with hospital systems. Additionally, these updates will allow for integration with Healogics applications, and Epic creating a more streamlined user experience.

“This integration is a major step forward for Healogics’ hospital partners that are looking to use Epic in their Wound Care Center,” said Ty Smith, Chief Information Officer at Healogics. “This level of integration will bring the best of Healogics applications into the Epic ecosystem and supports our Centers with the best technology available. We are looking forward to all the ways in which these updates will improve the patient experience and save time for clinicians and physicians, all while increasing the quality and consistency of patient care.” … read more

MiMedx Group (NASDAQ:MDXG) is up 6% premarket on light volume on the heels of the publication of a study evaluating its dehydrated human umbilical cord (dHUC) for the treatment of chronic diabetic foot ulcers in the International Wound Journal … In the intent-to-treat group, 70% of patients receiving weekly dHUC allograft achieved complete healing by week 12 compared to 48% of those receiving standard-of-care (SOC) treatment for 12 weeks (p=0.0089) … read more

     a structured review of published clinical trials

MEDLINE, PubMed, and related registries were searched through December 2017 to identify randomized, quasi-randomized or observational trials that evaluated the efficacy of lower extremity DNS on pain relief (primary outcome) or other secondary outcomes. Observational studies were included, given investigators’ reluctance to use sham surgery controls. Outcome effect size was estimated, and a weighted average was calculated.
Results: Eight of 23 studies evaluated pain relief, including a double-blind randomized controlled trial (with a sham surgery leg), an unblinded trial with a nonsurgical control leg, and 6 observational studies. All reported substantial pain relief post-DNS with average effect sizes between two and five. Unexpectedly, the double-blind trial showed improvement in the sham leg comparable to the DNS leg … read more

Having read a recent article on clean versus sterile dressing technique, commenting again on this issue seems highly appropriate. The conclusion of the paper essentially is that a clean technique for acute wound care does not affect the incidence of infection.¹ There is insufficient evidence in the literature relating to chronic wound care. I particularly appreciated the comment that nurses need to decide which approach to have by using critical thinking skills. I was reminded of a visit to a patient to utilize a fancy new dressing that I had never used before …  read more

NuVasive (NSDQ:NUVA) said today it launched three new products as part of its biologics portfolio, including its Traditional Bone Allograft, Amniotic Membrate DS and Propel DBM …The San Diego-based company’s Traditional Bone Allograft includes cancellous chips, demineralized cancellous chips, cortical cancellous chips and cancellous crushed, which the company claims the has osteoconductive properties intended to provide a scaffold for bone growth … The newly launched Amniotic Membrane DS is a dual-sided layer of human amniotic membrane intended to act as a biologic barrier to prevent adhesions and reduce scar tissue formation near adjacent muscle, nerve and fascia layer tissues … read more

With the plethora of wound dressings available, how can you choose the right dressing for your patients? Assessing the merits and drawbacks of current and emerging dressings, these authors share their experience with multi-layer dressings, wound cleansers, dressings that facilitate wound debridement and others … In our wound care practice, we diagnose and treat various etiologies of lower extremity wounds including diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers and other wounds. As there are hundreds of wound dressings and topical treatments available in the United States today … read more

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a term used to describe atherosclerotic vessels in the periphery, mostly affecting the lower extremities. The blocked vessels impair blood and oxygen perfusion to the lower limbs and may lead to increased risk of ulceration, wounds and amputations. PAD is also associated with increased risk of coronary and cerebrovascular incidents. More than 50% of people living with PAD may not have any clinical symptoms, posing a challenge to diagnosis and management. This article will discuss the aetiology, presentation, risk factors, and management of PAD as related to the lower extremities … read more

     on each chronic wound patient

• Chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers and venous leg ulcers, take more than 8 months to heal for the average patient and some will be affected for decades1
• Despite advancements in wound care, patients report dressings are changed on average 5 times a week1
• This poses a huge burden on UK nurses and impacts the quality of life for nearly all (90%) of patients1

     The impact of a wound centre on a vascular surgery practice

The opening of an outpatient wound centre has been associated with a significant increase in peripheral vascular practice and a significant decrease in amputation rate. Venita Chandra and colleagues Alyssa M Flores, Matthew W Mell and Ronald L Dalman (Stanford University, Stanford, USA) believe that such centres result in synergistic systems that promote more aggressive and effective limb salvage strategies. Chandra presented the findings of a recent study analysing the clinical impact of a wound care centre on a vascular surgery practice, at the Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM; 20–23 June, Boston, USA) … read more

MUNICH — Local injection of mesenchymal stem cells derived from autologous bone marrow shows promise in healing recalcitrant neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers, a novel study from Egypt shows.

Presenting the results at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2016 Annual Meeting, Ahmed Albehairy, MD, from Mansoura University, Egypt, said: “In patients who received the mesenchymal stem cells, ulcer reduction was found to be significantly higher compared with patients on conventional treatment after both 6 weeks and 12 weeks of follow-up. This is despite the fact that initial ulcer size was larger in the stem-cell–treated group.”

After 6 weeks, median ulcer reductions were 49.9% and 7.67% (P = .001) in stem-cell–treated and control groups, respectively, and after 12 weeks, median ulcer reductions were 68.24% and 5.27% (P = .0001). Complete healing was achieved in one case in the mesenchymal stem cell–treated group.

“The healing mechanism may be due to the pure effect of injected mesenchymal stem cells … read more

May Solve Problems For Patients With Chronic Wounds

Bio-inks are becoming an increasingly common feature of next-generation medicine. These inks consist of living cells from donor tissues that may be suspended in bio-compatible solutions or polymers. The bio-inks are laid down or deposited using techniques much like medical-grade 3D printing … A recent project that incorporates bio-inks is intended to address deep skin wounds and the issues that affect their treatment and ultimate healing. The scientists behind it hope that their innovative solution can improve outcomes for these patients while overcoming the problems they face as a result of current medical practice … read more

     Subepidermal Moisture Measurements Versus Ultrasound and Visual Skin Assessments for Early Detection of Pressure Injury

Pressure ulcers (PUs) are detected by visual skin assessment (VSA). Evidence suggests ultrasound (US) and subepidermal moisture (SEM) scanner technology can measure tissue damage before it is visible … A pilot study was conducted to evaluate consistency between SEM and US examinations of suspected deep tissue injury (sDTI) … Using an observational, prospective cohort study design, patients >55 years of age were recruited. VSA, SEM, and US assessments were performed daily for a minimum of 3 and maximum of 10 consecutive days following enrollment. US results were considered indicative of sDTI if hypoechoic lesions were present. SEM readings were considered abnormal when ∆ ≥0.6 was noted for at least 2 consecutive days. Boolean analysis was utilized to systematically determine consistency between US and SEM where sDTI was the clinical judgment … read more

     the UK, Denmark, and Sweden: an observer-masked, randomised controlled trial

The LeucoPatch device uses bedside centrifugation without additional reagents to generate a disc comprising autologous leucocytes, platelets, and fibrin, which is applied to the surface of the wound. We aimed to test the effectiveness of LeucoPatch on the healing of hard-to-heal foot ulcers in people with diabetes … Methods … This was a multicentre, international, observer-masked, randomised controlled trial of people with diabetes and a hard-to-heal foot ulcer done in 32 specialist diabetic foot clinics in three countries (UK, Denmark, and Sweden). After a 4-week run-in period, those with a reduction in ulcer area of less than 50% were randomly allocated … read more

While 3M is 116 years old, the company continues to churn out new products like a young startup. Research and development remains the heartbeat of 3M with the company spending $1.9 billion or 6% of sales in 2017 on research and development to drive organic growth and new products … Top priorities for growth today include automotive electrification, advanced wound care, connected safety, data centers, structural adhesives, filtration, air quality and population health … read more

Brookfield-based professional training webinar provider OnCourse Learning is set to be acquired by German company Bertelsmann for a reported $500 million. The transaction is expected to close this fall, pending regulatory approval … OnCourse was sold by New York private equity firm CIP Capital, which acquired the company in 2014 from Cleveland private equity firm The Riverside Co. The transaction was described by Bertelsmann as “in the mid-nine-digit euro range.” Reuters pegged the deal at around $500 million … The company, which was founded in 2007, has grown steadily via acquisition. In January, it announced the acquisition of Lake Geneva-based Wound Care Education Institute Inc., … read more

3D–printed objects are no longer a novelty and are paving the way for incredible scientific innovation. For example, a large 3D–printed engine part was successfully tested and could be used in the next generation SLS rocket that will send humans to the moon and Mars, NASA reported … The road to recovery for any individual with deep skin wounds, which affect all three layers of the skin, can be as painful and traumatic as the incident itself … Researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a handheld 3D printer filled with “bio ink” — essentially an ink cartridge containing biological materials. The bio ink contains strips of biomaterial that include the proteins collagen and fibrin, which are used to promote wound healing … read more

• Wound care management in Indonesia: issues and challenges in diabetic foot ulceration
  There are 415 million people aged 20–79 years with diabetes worldwide, almost 153 million of them live in the Western Pacific region (Ogurtsova et al, 2017). The number of people with diabetes is predicted to rise to 642 million worldwide by 2040 (Ogurtsova et al, 2017). Indonesia has approximately 258 million citizens, making it the world’s fourth most populated country. It is one of 21 countries and territories in the International Diabetes Federation Western Pacific region. According to the International Diabetes Federation (2017), about 10.3 million Indonesians have diabetes
• Optimising quality of life for people with non-healing wounds
  Some wounds persist for months or years (Krasner et al, 2014). Non-healing wounds may be a result of host factors, such as inadequate vasculature, medications that interfere with the healing process, immunocompromised status or critically-ill status with non-modifiable risk factors (terminal disease, end-stage organ failure and other life-threatening health conditions). Among patients who are dying, receiving hospice or palliative care, non-healing or palliative wounds can be associated with complications
• Reconstruction of a soft tissue defect of the big toe by pedicled perforator flap
  Treatment of soft tissue defect on the distal of the big toe is challenging due to the lack of reliable options that can be used to create a local flap to cover the injured area. Following injury, soft tissue defects expose the structures, joints, tendons and bone. Even a small defect will become problematic if it is not managed appropriately
• Natrox® — Let the topical oxygen flow for healing complex wounds
  The presence of a wound increases the body’s requirement for oxygen by 20% for a patient with a clean wound and by 50% for an infected wound (Dernling, 2009). Oxygen is critical to many of the processes required in wound healing including the production of energy to fuel cell function and metabolism, angiogenesis, collagen synthesis and cross-linking

     AB-PA01 product targeting P.aeruginosa infections

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on precisely targeted bacteriophage therapeutics for antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced that the company has received positive feedback, via written response, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its development plans for AB-PA01, without the need for a Type B Pre-IND meeting … “We are delighted with the FDA’s response to our development plans for AB-PA01, AmpliPhi’s bacteriophage product candidate targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, and the FDA’s concurrence on the proposed design of two randomized controlled clinical trials, in hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia and P. aeruginosabacteremia,” said Paul C. Grint, M.D., CEO … read more

Beverly Hospital will be hosting its first Amputation Prevention Summit on Saturday, September 29, 2018 on the hospital campus at 309 West Beverly Boulevard, Montebello, California, drawing clinicians from the greater Los Angeles area.

This educational event will highlight the urgent nature of the diabetes epidemic— diabetes being among one of the top ten leading causes of death in California and the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputation. Guest speakers will share important data, current trends in limb salvage and best-practices in the battle against diabetes-related complications. They will also discuss ways healthcare professionals can improve their practices in order to reduce lower extremity amputations.

A person with diabetes has a risk of leg amputation that is 15-40 times greater than a person without diabetes. Within two to four years of unilateral limb loss, one-third of all patients lose the other leg. Only about 50% survive more than five years following a leg amputation. With the future incidence of diabetes projected to rise to 550 million people worldwide by the year 2030, limb salvage is becoming a viable alternative, often producing better outcomes than amputation … read more

     may be mediated through differential gene expression

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been successfully used as a treatment for diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). Its mechanism of action on the molecular level, however, is not fully understood. We assessed the effect of NPWT on gene expression in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and DFU … The final cohort encompassed 21 patients treated with NPWT and 8 with standard therapy. The groups were similar in terms of age (69.0 versus 67.5 years) and duration of T2DM (14.5 versus 14.4 years). We identified four genes differentially expressed between the two study arms post-treatment, but not pre-treatment: GFRA2 (GDNF family receptor alpha-2), C1QBP (complement C1q binding protein), RAB35 (member of RAS oncogene family) and SYNJ1 (synaptic inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 5-phosphatase 1) … read more

One Call, the nation’s leading provider of workers’ compensation care management services, and Broadspire®, a subsidiary of Crawford & Company® and a leading global third-party administrator, today announced a partnership to develop a customized patient-centric wound resource program to improve wound healing of injured workers.

The primary goal of wound care is to provide optimal conditions for the natural reparative processes to take place on their own. One Call’s new wound resource program, in partnership with Broadspire, utilizes evidence-based protocols to proactively identify injured workers who either have a non-healing wound or may be at risk for developing wounds.

Wounds that have continued for more than 30 days are 36-69 percent less likely to heal. Chronic wounds affect 5.7 million people in the U.S. at an annual cost of $20 billion.^[1] Pressure ulcers are among the most common chronic wounds. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), pressure ulcers account for more than 17,000 lawsuits annually and are the second most common claim after wrongful death. Sadly, about 60,000 patients die as a direct result of a pressure ulcer each year.

“Pressure ulcers and other chronic wounds have an enormously detrimental impact on function and overall healing,” said Dr. Marcos Iglesias, chief medical officer at Broadspire … read more

Launches October 1, 2018

COLUMBIA, Md., Sept. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.(NASDAQ: OSIR), a regenerative medicine company focused on developing and marketing products for wound care, orthopedics, and sports medicine, announces that GrafixPL PRIME™, a human placental membrane that can be stored at ambient temperatures, launches for sale on October 1, 2018.  The structural matrix, growth factors, and cell viability of GrafixPL PRIME is equivalent to those of Grafix^®, a cryopreserved placental membrane, but without the constraints of ultra-low temperature storage.

GrafixPL PRIME is processed using Prestige Lyotechnology^SM, which is Osiris’s preservation technique for ambient storage of living tissues.  GrafixPL PRIME is flexible and conforming and designed as a wound cover/barrier for application directly to hard-to-treat acute and chronic wounds, including but not limited to diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers and thermal burns.

Jason Keefer, Interim President and CEO said: “I am pleased to announce that our ambient temperature stable GrafixPL PRIME product will be available in all settings of care, in addition to our cryopreserved Grafix products … read more

Broadcast times available: 8:00 AM (UK), 11:00 AM (UK), 15:00 PM (UK)

Evidence has proven the positive effects of topical oxygen therapy on chronic, hard-to-heal wounds. It is becoming widely accepted that hard-to-heal wounds contain biofilm and that the presence of biofilm delays and/or prevents healing. This webcast will inform practitioners about the issue of biofilm and how it affects wound chronicity, as well as how topical oxygen therapy may help to kickstart stalled healing. The NATROX study has shown that topical oxygen therapy has a positive effect on biofilm in chronic wounds, and this webcast will provide practical guidance so this can be applied in practice to improve healing outcomes ….. read more

     Product Chosen to be a Part of Healogics New iSupply(SM) Program

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Solsys Medical, LLC (“Solsys”) (formerly known and doing business as Soluble Systems, LLC) (“Solsys Medical”), which markets TheraSkin®, a cellular and tissue-based product for regenerative wound healing, announced today that it has partnered with Healogics, the nations largest provider of advanced chronic wound care services, to be a part of the new Healogics iSupply program, offering TheraSkin to Healogics facilities. Through the partnership with Healogics, Solsys furthers its mission to improve quality outcomes while reducing the total cost of care.  TheraSkin is a living human split-thickness skin allograft that is cryopreserved to preserve living cells and growth factors while maintaining a mature native human dermal architecture.  The versatility in applications and sizes of TheraSkin reduces product waste and helps to drive operational efficiencies in the wound care center to better manage total cost of care and quality outcomes related to wound care.

“We are very excited to be working with Healogics and have TheraSkin included in its iSupply initiative,” stated Allan Staley, CEO of Solsys Medical. “The iSupply program enables Healogics’ hospital partners improved access to TheraSkin in order to improve wound healing outcomes at a lower cost.” … read more

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are arguably among the most difficult types of wounds to manage; the etiology of these wounds poses some of the greatest clinical challenges for healing, considering the multifaceted nature of diabetes mellitus (DM). Multiple patient-related factors must be addressed and controlled through faithful adherence to the prescribed plan of care, which is developed by both the patient and clinicians to ensure success … Treatment of DFUs requires multidisciplinary provider involvement (podiatry, vascular, infectious disease, internal medicine or family practice, endocrinology, cardiology, nephrology, and physical therapy). The standard of care for patients with DFUs includes medical management of chronic disease, including nutrition and glucose control, routine wound assessments with ulcer grading and risk stratification, topical wound management with attention to serial debridements and moist wound healing … read more

Classification of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Historically, classification and subsequent treatment of DFUs do not adequately include management of concomitant ischemia of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The Wagner Diabetic Foot Ulcer Grade Classification System, which has been in use since its inception in the 1970s, did not have the capacity to describe ischemic components of DFU. The University of Texas Diabetic Foot Ulcer Classification System, PEDIS (perfusion, extent, depth, infection, and sensation), WIfI Threatened Limb (Wound/Ischemia/Foot Infection), and SINBAD (Site, Ischemia, Neuropathy, Bacterial infection, And Depth) are classification systems that utilize degrees of ischemia as a contributing factor.

At present, subclassification of DFUs can be divided into three categories: neuropathic, ischemic, and neuroischemic. The most prevalent of the three is the neuroischemic DFU, which comprises approximately 50% of such ulcerations. Organization and reproducibility of the assessment process are crucial to success. Workups should include identification of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, both modifiable and non-modifiable. We will review appropriate assessments by using a typical history and physical examination format … read more

Scientists have revealed how proteins in menstrual blood can be used to stimulate skin repair, including wounds that otherwise recover poorly. Today, tens of billions of dollars are spent on chronic skin injuries, and increasing rates of diabetes are adding to this demand, so utilizing the womb’s incredible ability to repair itself quickly could be the way forward … “The lining of the uterus, the endometrium, is an amazing tissue which undergoes ‘self-destruction’ each month at menstruation, followed by repair and regeneration of the tissue in preparation for pregnancy. This occurs, on average, 450 times in each woman’s reproductive life,” said Dr Jemma Evans of Melbourne’s Hudson Institute of Medical Research in a statement … read more

Two analyses from the LEADER Trial show reduced risks of deaths and better outcomes in both heart health and diabetes-related foot ulcers and associated complications in patients with type 2 diabetes who are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease … GLP-1 Proves Effective in Lessening Risks of 2 Common Diabetes-Related Risks … Patients with type 2 diabetes who were at heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and received liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) saw a reduction in CVD events and cardiovascular death … read more

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     therapeutic targets and drug delivery systems

Wound healing process is an intricate sequence of well-orchestrated biochemical and cellular phenomena to restore the integrity of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Several plant extracts and their phytoconstituents are known as a promising alternative for wound healing agents due to the presence of diverse active components, ease of access, and their limited side effects. The development of nanotechnological methods can help to improve the efficacy of different therapeutics as well as herbal-based products. Here, we present a review of the efficacy of the plant based-nanomaterials in the management of wounds and discuss the involved therapeutic targets. For this purpose, a profound search has been conducted on in vitro, in vivo, and/or clinical evidences evaluating the efficacy and pharmacological mechanisms of natural product-based nanostructures on different types of wounds … read more

     a reproducibility assessment study

To assess the reproducibility of using AutoCAD software to measure the area of venous leg ulcers (VLUs) … Data from patients with VLUs were collected between March and July 2015, using data collection forms and photographing the different ulcers. A researcher and five nurses collected the data. The wounds were measured using AutoCAD software. Data were analysed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and Bland-Altman analysis … read more (login required)

To help improve the care of troops injured in combat, the United States military has been exploring the complex microbiology of combat wounds … The goal of the initiative “is to expand the understanding of the complex microbiology inherent within combat-related extremity wounds,” according to Katrin Mende, PhD … Biofilm formation in 376 Enterococcus wound isolates was found to be generally weak — 8.8% in the presence of human plasma and 1.9% in the absence of human plasma, Mende and colleagues reported … read more

Pressure injuries (bedsores) are common and reduce quality of life. They are also costly and difficult to treat. This health technology assessment evaluates the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, budget impact, and lived experience of adding electrical stimulation to standard wound care for pressure injuries … We conducted a systematic search for studies published to December 7, 2016, limited to randomized and non–randomized controlled trials examining the effectiveness of electrical stimulation plus standard wound care versus standard wound care alone for patients with pressure injuries. We assessed the quality of evidence through Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). In addition, we conducted an economic literature review and a budget impact analysis to assess the cost-effectiveness and affordability of electrical stimulation for treatment of pressure ulcers in Ontario. Given uncertainties in clinical evidence and resource use, we did not conduct … read more

When discharging patients from acute care facilities, consider cognitive and functional status; the home environment; family or caregiver support; access to services, medications, and transportation; and follow-up care.
Depending on the patient’s situation, the three goals of wound care are healing, maintenance, and comfort.
After discharge from an acute-care facility, patient medication management, diet, and lifestyle can help support wound healing … read more

     argues prof of vascular surgery

Former Head of Vascular Surgery at Bradford’s Royal Infirmary Professor Peter Vowden gave the opening address at the 3rd International Skin Integrity and Tissue Viability Conference which explored advances in and the management of all aspects wound care.

IT is estimated that annually the NHS treats over two million wounds at a cost of £5.3 billion and with tougher financial constraints being announced every year, there needs to be ongoing research to ensure the lack of finances doesn’t affect the quality of wound care available.

This was the topic of the opening lecture at the 3rd International Skin Integrity and Tissue Viability Conference hosted by the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention (ISIaIP), in conjunction with the Journal of Wound Care … read more

Closing a wound usually requires a needle going through your skin, or staples. Just imagine having to sit there watching staples sticking into your flesh, not a pretty sight, right? Well, researchers have found an easier way to get things done.

One of the primary reasons the ways as mentioned above to close wounds are not perfect is the fact that they do not completely seal the entrance area. OK then, maybe doctors should use sealants to get the job done, but you know what? None of the ones available today meet the requirements of being a useful surgical tool … read more

     Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

The best practice recommendation articles are special publications of Wound Care Canada. Together they form the Foundations of Best Practice for Skin and Wound Management, an online resource available for free download from the Wounds Canada website (woundscanada.ca). These 2017 updates build on the work of previous author teams and incorporate the latest research and expert opinion. We would like to thank everyone involved in the production of past and present versions of these articles for their hard work, diligence and rigour in researching, writing and producing these valuable resources … read more

There does not appear to be a clinically meaningful association between baseline or prospective hemoglobin A1c (A1C) and wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), according to a study published online April 16 in Diabetes Care.

The researchers found that baseline A1C was not associated with wound healing in univariate or in fully adjusted models. In the participants with baseline A1C <7.5 percent (hazard ratio [HR], 2.07; 95 percent CI, 1.08 to 4.00), no association with wound healing was seen with the mean A1C change from baseline. A nadir A1C change of 0.09 to 2.4 (tertile 3) was positively associated with long-term wound healing versus those with a nadir A1C … read more

Angelini and APR Applied Pharma Research strengthen their partnership in wound care with the launch of Nexodyn in the USA.

The new Nexodyn AOS wound care solution, cleared for sale by the FDA, is now starting to be available in the USA, promoted and commercialized by the Italian pharmaceutical company Angelini, as a result of an exclusive partnership with the Swiss company APR Applied Pharma Research, the owner and developer of the proprietary, patented technology TEHCLO, for the production of acidic super-oxidizing solutions.

Nexodyn helps cleanse and moisten the wound environment by removing dirt, debris and foreign material by flushing across the wound. Nexodyn is intended for use, under the supervision of healthcare … read more

     when sutured into tissue

For the first time, researchers led by Tufts University engineers have integrated nano-scale sensors, electronics and microfluidics into threads – ranging from simple cotton to sophisticated synthetics – that can be sutured through multiple layers of tissue to gather diagnostic data wirelessly in real time, according to a paper published online July 18 in Microsystems & Nanoengineering. The research suggests that the thread-based diagnostic platform could be an effective substrate for a new generation of implantable diagnostic devices and smart wearable systems … read more

Wounds can cover diabetic foot ulcers, pressure injury, vascular ulcers or wounds, immunopathic wounds and traumatic wounds. Chronic, hard-to-heal wounds also have an adverse effect on health-related quality of life. Wounds are a global problem, with increasing incidence due in part to the increase in diabetes mellitus. In Asia, there are more than 4 billion people, and this is where diabetes and its complications, namely diabetic foot, are increasing at an alarming rate … read more

     Metal–Bisphosphonate Coordination Chemistry for Wound Healing

Biomaterial‐based regenerative approaches would allow for cost‐effective off‐the‐shelf solution for the treatment of wounds. Hyaluronan (HA)‐based hydrogel is one attractive biomaterial candidate because it is involved in natural healing processes, including inflammation, granulation, and reepithelialization. Herein, dynamic metal–ligand coordination bonds are used to fabricate moldable supramolecular HA hydrogels with self‐healing properties. To achieve reversible crosslinking of HA chains, the biopolymer is modified with pendant bisphosphonate (BP) ligands using carbodiimide coupling and chemoselective “click” reactions. Hydrogel is formed immediately after simple addition of silver (Ag⁺) ions to the solution of HA containing BP groups (HA‐BP). Compared with previous HA‐based wound healing hydrogels, the HA‐BP·Ag⁺ hydrogel is highly suitable … read more

More than 120 foot and toe amputations are carried out every week in England as a result of diabetes.

Shocking figures reveal the number of amputations linked to the disease have risen by over a quarter since 2013.

Type 2 diabetes’ prevalence has more than doubled over the past decade due to rising rates of obesity, inactivity and unhealthy eating.

The disease can lead to amputations if it causes nerve damage that lead to infected wounds that do not heal. These infections can then spread to a person’s bones and even result in gangrene … read more

Windsor skin care products provider Scapa Healthcare said Thursday it has agreed to acquire an England-based maker of wound care products.

Scapa said acquiring Systagenix, and its 335,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, will “significantly” add to the Windsor company’s wound care footprint. Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal expected to be completed in October …. read more

     to using offloading devices among people with diabetes

Foot ulcers are a diabetic complication associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and amputation risk. Offloading devices prevent and heal foot ulcers, but adherence to using these devices is low. The reasons for nonadherence are unclear, and study results are difficult to compare due to methodological heterogeneity. This paper explores aspects of investigating adherence to using offloading devices among people with diabetes and provides recommendations for future studies, focusing on study designs, definitions of adherence, measurement methods, and conceptual frameworks. Most studies use a cross-sectional observational study design, limiting the potential to establish the temporal sequence between predictors and adherence, rule out confounding factors, and establish causality. Studies defining adherence as the length of time the device is worn have often used self-report to measure adherence, which may be unreliable. Studies using activity monitors to … read more

     therapy in obese and diabetic patients

Surgical site infections are a significant complication that can prevent proper wound healing, require expensive treatment and may even lead to death in severe cases. Patients with higher body mass indices and with diabetes have an increased risk of developing incision infections.

With a $1.7 million, two-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers in the University of Illinois at Chicago Epicenter for Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections — one of six such centers funded by the CDC — will determine whether negative pressure wound therapy can help reduce the incidents of surgical site infections in obese and diabetic patients.

“Obese patients are more prone to develop surgical site infections because incisions tend to be larger and need to be deeper to allow surgeons to access the areas they need to work,” said Dr. Susan Bleasdale, associate professor of clinical medicine in the UIC College of Medicine and principal investigator on the grant … read more

A smartphone application called MyWoundDoctor can help people needing wound care get quick access and treatment from a certified healthcare provider.

Here’s a simple version of how it can work: You snap a picture of the wound, select where on your body it’s located, and share a few more details about your condition. Then 30 minutes to four hours later, you’ll receive a doctor’s assessment, treatment instructions, and personalized supplies mailed to your home in a few days.

“It’s sort of a self-serve model,” said Dan Heneghan, the CEO of MyWoundDoctor, LLC which is based in Wilmington.

MyWoundDoctor was founded in 2015 by Heneghan and Dr. Nick Sieveking, a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Heneghan said he was talking with Sieveking, who said his patients had been sending pictures of wounds to him through his smartphone … read more

Researchers trick wound cells in mice into becoming healing surface skin cells

Scientists have discovered a new way of treating skin wounds in mice by tricking the cells in the wound into becoming healing surface skin cells.

The findings raise the prospect of being able to develop simple, non-surgical treatments for human wounds in the future.

Large skin wounds and ulcers are painful and occasionally life-threatening. When the surface of the skin is ruptured, epithelial cells, which make up the outer layer of the skin, migrate towards the wound in an effort to seal up the injury. But this healing process becomes more difficult in larger wounds and is impaired in older people, making the need for simple, effective treatments all the greater … read more

Antibiotic resistance is one of the factors which causes delay in wound healing and a corresponding spike in medical and healthcare expenses.

The primary reason for the emergence of resistance is the inappropriate use of antimicrobials. To use antibiotics wisely, it is necessary to understand the principles of diagnosing wound infection, what organisms are likely to be responsible, and to what antimicrobial agents they respond.

This knowledge will help to ensure that antibiotics are used only when essential, and in a manner that does not cause more resistance to be generated … read more

13 Sep 2018
Broadcast times available: 8:30 AM (UK), 12:30 PM (UK), 16:30 PM (UK)
This Wounds International webcast focuses on the role of oxygen in wound healing and how topical oxygen therapy can improve oxygenation and, therefore, healing.

In the first presentation, Breda Cullen, Research and Development Director, UK, outlines the vital role that oxygen plays throughout the healing process and the impact that lack of oxygen (hypoxia) can have on the wound. Breda explores the factors that can cause compromised healing and how these can be addressed.

In the next presentation, Hanna Kaufman, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Israel, looks in depth at the clinical evidence and how this can be applied to practice. Hanna identifies the wounds that are suitable for topical oxygen therapy and shares tips for use in practice, drawing on clinical evidence and experience.

In the final presentation, Tjun Tang, Vascular Surgeon, Singapore, looks at the role of topical oxygen therapy in limb salvage.

read more

Background and Prevalence of Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Diabetes-related foot complications, including diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), are leading causes of non-traumatic lower extremity amputation. Of the approximately 420 million adults in the United States with diabetes mellitus, one fourth will develop at least one DFU. DFUs are preceded by a compendium of risk factors, including the presence of neuropathy, external trauma, infection, effects of ischemia from concomitant peripheral arterial disease, malnutrition, and poor hygiene or self-care, among others. In 80% of patients, DFU is a precursor to some degree of lower extremity amputation. And, for these patients who have undergone amputation, their risk for further amputation becomes double that of a patient without diabetes. The mortality rate following a diagnosis of diabetic foot ulceration is 5% in the first year. The five-year mortality rate is 50% and rises to 70% after amputation. Once healed, 40% of DFUs will recur within 12 months, nearly 70% at three years, and nearly 75% at five years … read more

Sept. 6 (UPI) — Scientists have developed a technique to convert cells in open wounds into skin cells as an alternative to plastic surgery for treatment of large cutaneous ulcers.

The method involves reprogramming the cells into a stem-cell-like state for healing skin damage, including severe burns, bedsores or chronic diseases such as diabetes. The researchers at the Salk Institute also see this process as a way to counter the effects of aging and better understanding skin cancer.

Their findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

“This knowledge might not only be useful for enhancing skin repair but could also serve to guide in vivo regenerative strategies in other human pathological situations, as well as during aging, in which tissue repair is impaired,” senior author Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a professor at he Salk Institute, said in a press release … read more

GLASGOW — Residents at Signature HealthCARE of Glasgow can avoid trips to a doctor’s office or to the hospital for treatment of some medical conditions thanks to telehealth technology through YourDoc2U.

With telehealth technology, health care providers can talk face-to-face with residents, as well as the staff at the nursing facility via computer screen that sits atop a cart enabling it to be moved from location to location as needed.

Psychiatric and wound care evaluations are the medical services available to the nursing facility residents through telehealth technology.

“If we identify a need with any of our elders, we call the primary physician and ask for a consult with telewound,” said Kim Poynter, director of nursing at Signature HealthCare of Glasgow. “It’s all online. They have nurse practitioners and physicians available. If it’s an emergency situation, like if we have an elder who is having a crisis and needs psych services, we either call in or get online and make an appointment. They are available 24/7.” read more

     during burn wound care and dressing changes

Little has been published regarding intravenous (IV) ketamine for burn wound care in adult patients. Ketamine may serve as a safe alternative to provide conscious sedation and limit opioid administration to patients. The purpose of this study was to characterize IV ketamine use during burn wound care and establish its potential role as a safe adjunct to opioid and benzodiazepine medications. This is a retrospective review of adult patients admitted to a regional burn center who received IV ketamine for burn wound care. Patient demographics, medications, and ketamine-related side effects including hypertension and dysphoric reactions were recorded. Cardiopulmonary complications were also tracked. Thirty-six patients met inclusion criteria; 50 total cases were performed. The median patient age was 37 [IQR 28 – 55] years with a median burn size of 9.5 [IQR 4.0 – 52] %TBSA. The median ketamine dose administered was 1.2 [IQR 0.8 – 2.1] mg/kg. IV midazolam was administered in almost all cases (98%) at a median dose of 3.0 [IQR 2.0 – 5.0] mg. Opioids were administered in 13 of 50 cases (26%) at a median morphine … read more

BRISBANE, Australia, Sept. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Factor Therapeutics Limited (ASX: FTT, the “Company”), an Australian biomedical company developing therapeutics for advanced wound care, is pleased to announce that the Company’s Phase 2 clinical trial VF00102, for the treatment of venous leg ulcers (VLU), is approaching the end of its treatment phase.

“Since finalising recruitment in July, the study has progressed to schedule and there are now only eight patients left to complete treatment. We expect the last patient to have their final treatment visit in the first week of October, a key milestone for the study as it then triggers a final round of data cleaning and quality checks before top-line results can be analysed in November,” said Dr Ros Wilson, CEO of Factor Therapeutics … read more

After reviewing evidence, a tool to evaluate benefit and risk has been developed showing when and when not to use an SGLT-2 inhibitor.

The management of type 2 diabetes has significantly diversified over recent years, producing a data-rich environment. SGLT2 inhibitors are a more recent agent that work by reabsorbing glucose in the kidney and cause an increase in glucose excretion in the urine. There have been misconceptions concerning the efficacy, safety and appropriate use of SGLT2 inhibitors in diabetes management. In order to address these concerns, the UK created The Improving Diabetes Steering Committee, consisting of diabetes specialists.

The Improving Diabetes Steering Committee used multiple trials to developed a quick reference guide that aims to clarify common areas in type 2 diabetes management, with a focus on SGLT2 inhibitors … read more

Cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) are investigated for several medical applications; major research effort is devoted to the promotion of wound healing in of chronic wounds. These wounds, typically associated with diabetes, are a major health concern due to their high occurrence in the population, long healing time, and associated high costs. Cell culture studies and clinical trials show promising results towards wound reduction or closure using relatively short plasma treatment times between 45 s and 2 min. Another growing application of CAPs is the inactivation of cancer cells. While short treatment times associated with wound healing seem to induce no permanent damage, cancer treatments are performed at significantly higher plasma exposure times.

Due to the complex nature of both wound healing and cancer, investigating the effect of plasma is challenging. One system that seems highly interesting in both wound healing and cancer is the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and one of its ligands, the epidermal growth factor (EGF). EGFR is known to be involved in several cancer types, because an overproduction or overstimulation of EGFR has a severe impact on the cell cycle by inducing proliferation … read more

So many times, we get questions about how to “skill” a resident. Is she skilled if she’s getting IVs? Is he skilled because he’s getting wound care? What about the resident whose trach is capped? Is she skilled? When the rehab patient reaches the almighty “plateau”, and isn’t getting better, is he still skilled?

We need to remember what the S-word means (no, not that one.) “Skilled” in our arena is defined by the services that we are delivering to the client, not by what the client is or isn’t doing … read more

     The impact of a wound centre on a vascular surgery practice

The opening of an outpatient wound centre has been associated with a significant increase in peripheral vascular practice and a significant decrease in amputation rate. Venita Chandra and colleagues Alyssa M Flores, Matthew W Mell and Ronald L Dalman (Stanford University, Stanford, USA) believe that such centres result in synergistic systems that promote more aggressive and effective limb salvage strategies. Chandra presented the findings of a recent study analysing the clinical impact of a wound care centre on a vascular surgery practice, at the Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM; 20–23 June, Boston, USA).

According to Chandra, chronic wounds remain a growing problem, not only in the USA but worldwide—with many patients at risk of limb loss presenting as particularly challenging. This cohort requires complex and resource-intensive medical care, reported Chandra.

World experts and leaders in this specialty have developed and described programs to attempt to improve the care of these complex patients and decrease the risk of amputation … read more

Early Diagnosis of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy at the Annual Meeting of NEURODIAB

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NeuroMetrix, Inc. (Nasdaq:NURO) today reported that it will be both exhibiting and sponsoring a diabetic neuropathy symposium at the 28th Annual Meeting of NEURODIAB held in Rome, Italy September 4-7.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common complication of diabetes, affecting over half of people with diabetes. It causes significant morbidity including pain, increased risk of falling in the elderly, and is the primary trigger for diabetic foot ulcers which may require lower extremity amputations. Early detection of neuropathy allows for earlier clinical intervention to help mitigate the effects of neuropathy on both patient quality of life and cost of care.

NEURODIAB is the annual meeting of the Diabetic Neuropathy Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) where thought leaders share ideas and scientific findings on diabetic neuropathy. NEURODIAB is considered the most important annual event in the field of diabetic neuropathy … read more

Patients with psoriasis have a higher risk of developing new onset diabetes mellitus. It’s a risk that’s been described as statistically significant. So, in this article, we examine dermatologic care for diabetic foot infections.

Patients with psoriasis have a higher risk of developing new onset diabetes mellitus. The increased incidence of psoriasis and diabetes mellitus was documented in a 2013 study by Usman Khalid, et al. published in Diabetes Care in which authors described the correlation as “statistically significant.” So, in this article, we examine dermatologic care for diabetic foot infections.

Dermatologists must be able to diagnose and manage mild-to-moderate infections in diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), said Warren S. Joseph, D.P.M., FIDSA, in a presentation at DERMfoot 2018 in Baltimore … read more

CHICAGO — To prevent amputation, physicians must assemble a comprehensive multidisciplinary team to care for patients at risk for losing their limbs, Ramon Varcoe, MD, MBBS, MS, FRACS, PhD, said at AMP: The Amputation Prevention Symposium.

A multidisciplinary approach to limb preservation begins with recognizing the major drivers of amputation. The global public health threat posed by the “tsunami of diabetes,” for instance, is a significant problem, he said.

If a patient develops diabetes, his or her risk for amputation is 15 times as high as someone who does not, according to Varcoe.

“The impact is more than amputation itself, though; it’s a reduction in life expectancy as well,” he said, noting that studies have linked amputation to an increased risk for death and 5-year rates of death exceeding that of some cancers … read more

Researchers in the United States present their findings on research into new smart bandages capable of real-time monitoring and treating chronic wounds.

Chronic wounds develop when a wound fails to heal within the expected time, which might be a couple of weeks or up to several months. They are often caused by diabetic wounds, pressure ulcers, leg ulcers, arterial ulcers, and malignant wounds. Chronic wounds may lead to severe pain, affecting an individual’s quality of life.

Chronic wounds affect millions
Currently, chronic wounds are a major health concern in the United States as they are affecting over 25 million people. This number will likely increase owing to the aging population and the continuous increase in the number of diabetes and obesity cases. According to the American Professional Wound Care Association, chronic wounds have caused the nation over 30 billion dollars each year … read more

Patients with type 2 diabetes who took liraglutide were at a lower risk for foot amputation, according to a study recently published in Diabetes Care.

Researchers completed a post hoc analysis on data collected during the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results (LEADER) trial to determine the effect of liraglutide on rates of diabetes-related foot ulcers in patients who were also at high risk for cardiovascular events. Patients in the LEADER study were randomly assigned to either an intervention arm (n=4668), receiving 1.8 mg of liraglutide a day, or a control arm (n=4672), receiving a placebo. The study continued for 5 years with an average follow-up time of 3.8 years. A diabetes-related foot ulcer was … read more

Patients with type 2 diabetes who took liraglutide were at a lower risk for foot amputation, according to a study recently published in Diabetes Care.

Researchers completed a post hoc analysis on data collected during the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results (LEADER) trial to determine the effect of liraglutide on rates of diabetes-related foot ulcers in patients who were also at high risk for cardiovascular events. Patients in the LEADER study were randomly assigned to either an intervention arm (n=4668), receiving 1.8 mg of liraglutide a day, or a control arm (n=4672), receiving a placebo. The study continued for 5 years with an average follow-up time of 3.8 years. A diabetes-related foot ulcer was specified as a medical event of special interest, and all complications related to the ulcer were documented.

read more

University research focusing on building stimuli-responsive material that could release, absorb antibiotics

Researchers at Texas A&M University and the Stevens Institute of Technology are working on the next generation of biomedical materials used to treat chronic wounds, including ulcers and wounds caused by diabetes.

Svetlana Sukhishvili, A&M professor and director of the soft matter facility, and her research partner at Stevens, Hongjun Wang, have conducted experiments alongside their respective teams and combined them to form one study.

“If you have diabetes, for example, your ability to heal wounds may be compromised, and ulcers may occur. What we’re trying to do is give you this bandage-like material that will be able to transform into skin that will help your body overcome the wound and to heal,” said Victoria Albright, a fourth-year doctoral student and lead researcher in the A&M Department of Materials Science and Engineering … read more

The use of mud or wet clay as a topical skin treatment, or poultice, is a common practice in many cultures. In fact, the concept of using mud as medicine goes back to the earliest times.

Now, Arizona State University (ASU) and Mayo Clinic researchers have found that one type of clay, Oregon blue clay, may help fight disease-causing bacteria in wounds, including treatment-resistant bacteria. Their findings appear in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

“The study is an important advance in understanding how clays, specifically blue clay from Oregon, have shown medicinal properties by attaching to pathogenic bacteria,” says Enriqueta Barrera, a program director in the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the research.

The scientists identified certain clays that kill bacteria, including many drug-resistant pathogens.

“Working with Mayo Clinic, we showed that these clays also diminish populations of bacterial biofilms, as well as bacteria common in wounds that are more resistant to drugs,” says biogeochemist Lynda Williams of ASU, a co-author of the study. “The results support our efforts to design new antibacterial drugs using natural clays.” … read more

An interview with Prof. Harding, CBE, and Dr Dixon, PhD, conducted by Alina Shrourou, BSC

What is a hard-to-heal wound?

There are many definitions of hard-to-heal. More conventionally, it’s based on underlying etiology of the wound, but in practice it’s any wound that has not healed within a timely fashion. This is often due to a lack of coordinated care. Many of those patients receive multiple courses of antibiotics and antimicrobial therapy, because clinicians aren’t sure what they’re looking at.

Not all wounds are necessarily hard-to-heal from the beginning, but because of the need for improvements and coordination of care, many of those patients that are seen in clinical practice become hard-to-heal … read more

     Multicenter Clinical Study Of Healing Of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using EpiFix®

– Study Published in International Wound Journal Reported Statistically Significant Evidence of Healing Compared to Control Group

– Intent-To-Treat EpiFix Treated Patients = 70% vs Control 50%, p=0.0338
– Per-Protocol EpiFix Treated Patients = 81% vs Control 55%, p=0.0093

MARIETTA, Ga., Aug. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — MiMedx Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDXG), a leading developer and marketer of regenerative and therapeutic biologics, today announced that a new study regarding the use of EpiFix® in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) has been published in the peer-reviewed journal, International Wound Journal.

The paper is entitled “A Confirmatory Study on the Efficacy of Dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane dHACM Allograft in the Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Study of 110 Patients from 14 Wound Clinics.” The paper was authored by: William Tettelbach, MD; Shawn Cazzell, DPM; Alexander M. Reyzelman, DPM; Felix Sigal, DPM; Joseph M Caporusso, DPM; and Patrick S. Agnew, DPM. The electronic publication of the article in International Wound Journal can be found at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/iwj.12976.

This multi-center randomized and controlled trial was led by William Tettelbach, MD, principal investigator and former Executive System Medical Director of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Services for InterMountain Healthcare. Dr. Tettelbach is now Associate Chief Medical Officer for MiMedx, a position that postdated the completion of the study.

read more

Researchers uncovered a connection between poor sleep and wound healing in type 2 diabetes that could pave the way for new treatments.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and it impacts the ability of the body to produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

One serious complication of diabetes are ulcers that can form from wounds. Feet are one of the most common places of injury. Small wounds that develop on feet can eventually become ulcers … read more

Doctors at JIPMER have begun using a marine resource sourced from shrimps for wound management. Marine resources are used to help patients with chronic wounds such as burns, diabetic foot ulcers, bed sores, infections, trauma and even surgery-related injury.

Jipmer Director, Dr. S Vivekanandam, said the protocol was initiated by the Department of Plastic Surgery. As a forerunner, a Continuing Medical Education (CME) was recently organised on ‘Wound Update-2018’ by the Department of Plastic Surgery to sensitise and to make aware of this technology in wound management.

According to the Director … read more

Publication of Clinical Trial Data from CellerateRX(R) Surgical Activated Collagen(R) Peptides

WNDM Medical Inc. (: WNDM) today announced the publication of a journal article in Orthopedics: ”The Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma and Activated Collagen on Wound Healing in Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty” by David Evans, BA and Bruce Evans, MD. This study examined whether two wound additives, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and activated collagen (CellerateRX Surgical), would improve postoperative wound healing and reduce complications after total knee or hip replacement surgery.

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, WNDM Medical Inc. (WNDM) has a management team in place with significant healthcare industry experience that is committed to sales growth by providing efficacious products to improve patient outcomes.

Key Points from the Publication

• This was an unsponsored, institutional review board (IRB)-approved, prospective, randomized, single-blinded, controlled study with three cohorts of 30 patients each … read more

As it stands now, we have 1.6 million nursing home residents in the United States; that number is expected to double by the year 2030. Bringing advanced wound care to the long-term care arena is becoming more common throughout the country. Physician-based wound groups can bring their expertise to the patient’s bedside, thereby saving the patient pain during transport to the wound center and lowering costs. However, certain procedures—such as total contact casting and bioengineered skin substitutes—cannot be performed at the bedside because of billing and reimbursement guidelines.

Physician-Based Wound Care Groups: Rationale and Challenges in the Long-Term Care Setting

Utilizing a wound care physician-based group has many advantages in long-term care. Residents build a trusting relationship with their providers who come weekly to assess and treat their wounds. Wound rounds are also the perfect opportunity for the physician and nurse to collaborate. However, providers tend to have somewhat of a learning curve, as well as culture shock stepping into the long-term care arena for the first time. Being competent in wound care is not sufficient to work as a provider in this setting. The long-term care arena is surprisingly different from the hospital. The best way to describe it is, you are on their turf. Nursing homes are under a microscope, and federal regulations must be followed accordingly or facilities are at risk for fines and penalties. Providers must be compliant with the state survey process and associated wound care federal tags … read more

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released an announcement seeking input from stakeholders on a new electronic clinical quality measure under development titled, “Hospital Harm – Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury.”

This measure assesses the proportion of hospitalized patients 18 years and older who develop a new stage 2-4 pressure ulcer, deep tissue injury, unstageable pressure ulcer, or experience worsening of any of the above during their hospitalization.

We read the full description of the measure and provided the following feedback on behalf of APWCA membership … read more

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that in the United States, “…thirty eight percent of adults, and that seventeen percent of children and teens are obese.” It is imperative that the term obesity be differentiated from overweight. Obesity refers to higher than normal body fat, whereas overweight is in reference to an individual weighing more than the standard for height and weight. Although both terms mean that a person’s weight is greater than what is considered healthy for his or her height, obesity has higher negative health-related consequences.

Health care professionals are challenged to manage increasingly complex health issues related to obesity, including complex skin conditions. The increase in stored fat associated with obesity can contribute to a variety of changes in skin physiology and is implicated in a range of dermatologic conditions.2 The skin’s ability to manage transepidermal water loss is altered in the obese population. With increased fat stores the transepidermal water loss is increased, resulting in dryness and delayed skin repair. Additionally, sebaceous channels are blocked, leading to an increase in oils and resulting in acne.2 The thick layers of subcutaneous fat in obese individuals may contribute to profuse sweating (hyperhidrosis) when overheated or with activities. Hyperhidrosis can set the stage for profuse skin damage. Moisture trapped in skin folds coupled with friction as body folds rub together … read more

Grafts in the Treatment of Wounds of Diverse Etiologies

There is evidence in the literature that viable cryopreserved human placental membrane (vCHPM) grafts are effective in treating diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers.

Objective. This case series presents 3 cases of chronic ulcerations — 1 arterial ulcer (AU), 1 pressure ulcer (PU), and 1 recurrence of a pyoderma gangrenosum ulcer (PGU) — that had failed previous courses of standard wound care and were subsequently treated with vCHPM to determine if the treatment is an effective modality for treating wounds of these etiologies.

Materials and Methods. This retrospective review describes 3 cases in which patients with chronic wounds that had failed standard of care treatments for more than 4 weeks were subsequently treated with weekly applications of vCHPM. Each wound area was recorded and photographed on a weekly basis and wound area reduction also was charted weekly.

Results. The PU and AU both reached full closure in 4 and 5 weeks, respectively, without complication. The patient with the PGU achieved 64% closure after 9 applications of vCHPM … read more

Dr. Shane Inlow wrote a two-page article, published in 2004, to help guide clinicians in assessing and planning care for patients with or at risk for diabetic foot ulcers.1 A few years later, clinicians in Northern Canada indicated that one of their problems was communicating effectively with experts in larger centres about their patients’ foot problems. The article by Dr. Inlow came to mind, and Inlow’s 60-Second Diabetic Foot Screen was created to give clinicians a common language and process to perform such an assessment.2 This tool then underwent a validation study that included interrater and intrarater reliability and predictive validity to determine consistency of risk recognition for development of ulceration independent of specific assessor and practice setting.1,3 Four years later, a growing body of work by the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) resulted in a risk-classification tool … read more

A species of ant has become the first known non-human animal to tend the wounds of its fellows. “Nurse” ants lick the wounds of fallen comrades, and this helps them survive.

Matabele ants (Megaponera analis) live dangerous lives. Several times a day, parties of 200-600 soldier ants set out to hunt termites, dragging them from their nests and carrying them home. The termites fight back, and their powerful jaws can administer lethal bites, so Matabele ants frequently lose one or more limbs.

In 2017, Erik Frank, then at the University of Würzburg, Germany reported that Matabele ants routinely carry their wounded back to the nest. This is odd, as social insects usually treat each other as expendable … read more

     ice crystallization

A large number of people around the world suffer from chronic skin wounds each year. Often, chronic wounds such as skin ulcers are seen in older people suffering from circulation disorders and diabetic patients whose skin tissue has a poor capacity of regeneration. Currently, many treatment approaches focus primarily on managing the wounds.

Researchers have now taken a nanotechnology-based tissue engineering approach to accelerate the regeneration and repair of damaged tissues at the wound site by directing cells and tissues to grow towards the target site. Their hope is that this leads to the development of affordable and functional biodegradable wound dressings for accelerated healing of chronic skin wounds by promoting regeneration of local tissues.

“We show that 3D scaffolds with both aligned nanofibers and aligned interconnected macrochannels can be created with various biomacromolecules, including silk fibroin, using a facile guided ice-crystal growth and nanofiber assembly strategy,” Dr. Linpeng Fan, first author of a paper on this work (ACS Nano, “Creating Biomimetic Anisotropic Architectures with Co-Aligned Nanofibers and Macrochannels by Manipulating Ice Crystallization”), tells Nanowerk … read more

13 Sep 2018

This Wounds International webcast focuses on the role of oxygen in wound healing and how topical oxygen therapy can improve oxygenation and, therefore, healing.

In the first presentation, Breda Cullen, Research and Development Director, UK, outlines the vital role that oxygen plays throughout the healing process and the impact that lack of oxygen (hypoxia) can have on the wound. Breda explores the factors that can cause compromised healing and how these can be addressed.
In the next presentation, Hanna Kaufman, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Israel, looks in depth at the clinical evidence and how this can be applied to practice. Hanna identifies the wounds that are suitable for topical oxygen therapy and shares tips for use in practice, drawing on clinical evidence and experience … read more

The diabetes guidelines discussed below are a draft version of a consensus statement to be issued in October at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Berlin, Germany.

Hi. I am Dr Anne Peters, and today I’m going to talk about the new ADA/EASD treatment guidelines for managing patients with type 2 diabetes. First off, my “headline” is that I think these are really good guidelines. Although guiding people is difficult, these guidelines actually begin to guide us in the treatment of our patients with type 2 diabetes …. read more

The devastating impact of chronic wounds has been laid bare as research reveals that hundreds of thousands of patients suffer with pain and immobility for more than a year.

One in ten sufferers is even taking antidepressants to cope, with many more unable to work or leave the house.

About a million patients are undergoing five dressing changes a week, with 90 per cent of those claiming their quality of life is severely affected.

More than 2.8 million Britons are living with a chronic wound, defined as one that does not heal within three months.

But the ‘new normal’ is that patients are affected for eight months … read more

The burden of chronic wounds for the individual, the health system and the whole community is familiar to the readers of this journal. Improving lives and saving money through better wound care is a common theme across this issue, and in the broader wound care activities.

Wounds Australia recognises that to achieve our vision of Quality wound care and prevention for all requires us to inform and engage with a broad audience. During Wound Awareness Week from 15 to 21 July 2018 Wounds Australia will launch our Five Point Plan to Reduce the Burden of Chronic Wounds. Our plan outlines 5 key initiatives to drive the change for best practice wound care for all Australians and reduce the suffering as a result of chronic wounds.

1. Medicare funding for treatment of chronic wounds in primary health care. A dedicated MBS item for treatment of chronic wounds to enable GPs, nurses and allied health professionals to deliver the best practice.

2. Subsidised wound products (dressings and related products) for people experiencing long term wound care. Advanced Wound management products often attract a premium cost. Selecting low cost, modest outcome products is a false economy. Research has shown that the use of less expensive dressings actually increases costs of treating a wound … read more

Venous leg ulcers are among the most common chronic wounds. Treatment is commonly with a limb compression bandage. Previous small, often single‐center, studies have shown that it is possible to predict which wounds are likely to respond to compression therapy. We designed this cohort study using a dataset of over 20,000 individuals with a venous leg ulcer to investigate the accuracy of several prognostic models. Creating complex models using logistic regression, as well as simply counting prognostic factors, we show that initial measures of wound size and duration accurately predict, as measured by area under the receiver operator curve and Brier score, who will heal by the 24th week of care. For example, a wound that is less than 10 cm2 and less than 12 months old at the first visit has a 29 percent chance of not healing by the 24th week of care, while a wound greater than 10 cm2 …. read more

     Review of Evidence and Recommendations

Healthcare systems are being challenged to manage increasing numbers of nonhealing wounds. Wound dressings are one of the first lines of defense in wound management, and numerous options exist. The oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC)/collagen dressing may offer healthcare providers a robust and cost-effective tool for use in a variety of wounds.

Healthcare systems are being challenged to manage increasing numbers of nonhealing wounds. Chronic wounds affect more than 6.5 million people in the United States. This trend has also been observed in other developed countries, such as Denmark (affecting an estimated 1% of the population), Sweden (prevalence: 2.4 per 1000 people), and the United Kingdom (prevalence: 3.55–3.7 per 1000 people).3 As populations increase and age, the incidence of chronic wounds is also forecasted to increase, further stressing healthcare systems and providers.

Wound healing and tissue regeneration are a complicated series of biochemical processes that create an orderly healing cascade with 4 key phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling.6 If this process becomes unbalanced, healing stalls and results in chronic, nonhealing wounds. Acute wounds progress through healing in a predictable time frame, culminating in an epithelialized wound. Chronic wounds start out as acute wounds and, unless their chronic causes are removed, either fail to progress through the wound healing process and (most often) stall in the inflammatory phase, or proceed through the repair process without establishing a sustained anatomic and functional result … read more

From Today’s Wound Clinic offers an informative clinical guide to review and pass along to their patients for purposes of assisting in their education.  Login required to download PDF version

Apps, HydroClean and Honey?

According to PR Newswire, the wound care biologics market is expected to earn 1.42 billion US dollars in 2018. That number is expected to skyrocket by the year 2023, when the market is expected to increase to 2.26 billion US dollars.

That is a jaw-dropping amount of money that we’re spending on wound care. What’s going on?

There are several factors that are driving up the those wound care dollars – primarily diabetic foot ulcers, the aging geriatric population, and a general increase in burn injuries globally.

With the ever-increasing number of wounds requiring advanced wound care, there is new products and practices. Here’s a quick update … read more

     with poor healing of diabetic foot ulcers: A prospective cohort study

We studied 94 consecutive people (69% men) with diabetic foot ulcers (Type 2 diabetes,n=66, Type 1 diabetes, n=28) attending a university hospital foot unit. All participants were screened for obstructive sleep apnoea using the STOP‐BANG questionnaire, with a score ≥4 identifying high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea. The primary outcome was poor diabetic foot ulcer healing, defined as diabetic foot ulcer recurrence (diabetic foot ulcers which healed and re‐ulcerated in same anatomical position) and diabetic foot ulcer persistence (no evidence of healing on clinical examination). All participants were evaluated at 12 months … read more

Innovative approaches can encourage healthy eating and activity in adolescents.

Takeaways:

• Nurses can help their adolescent patients with obesity by encouraging a healthy diet and greater activity
• Smartphone apps for diet and exercise tracking may be an effective tool to help adolescents with obesity lose weight.
• Recommend apps that are inexpensive and have high user ratings for ease of use and dependability.

By Julie Ludwig, MSN, RN, NP-C, and Christine Galluzzi, MSN, RN, APC-BC

Many teens with obesity go on to have obesity as adults. The ramifications of obesity are both physical and psychological, including metabolic conditions, sleep disorders, bullying, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. In addition, adolescents with obesity may experience increased school absenteeism and decreased scholastic performance. The result can be lower quality of life and limited life expectancy.

You can help your adolescent patients with obesity by encouraging a healthy diet and greater activity. (See Help young patients lose weight.) Engaging your patients in this effort may require some innovative interventions, including the use of technology … read more

Imagine a version of the kind of duct tape dispenser you can buy from your local home Home Depot or white-out tape used for correcting a writing error — only instead of rolling out pieces of tape or white-out material it can produce a sheet of skin tissue to cover a wound. That may sound a couple of phasers away from being a Star Trek gadget, but it’s a very real piece of research coming out of the University of Toronto. Engineers there have developed a 3D skin printer that can apparently, “[form] tissue in situ, depositing and setting in place, within two minutes or less.”

According to its creators, the device could serve as a future alternative to regular skin grafts. However, instead of first requiring that a patient has healthy skin removed to be grafted elsewhere, this device can roll out a new layer of “bio ink”-based, 3D-printed skin tissue onto the areas that are required … read more

Imagine rolling a tape dispenser over a wound, leaving behind a strip of cells that will generate new skin.

Researchers at the University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Hospital are getting close. They have designed a handheld machine that can create tissue and deposit in about two minutes, with material similar to human skin … read more

     even when tissues are moving

To repair ruptured or pierced organs and tissues, surgeons commonly use staples, sutures and wires to bring and hold the wound edges together so that they can heal. However, these procedures can be difficult to perform in hard-to-reach areas of the body and wounds are often not completely sealed immediately. They also come with the risk that tissues are further damaged and infected. A particular challenge is posed by wounds in fragile or elastic tissues that continuously expand or contract and relax, like the breathing lung, the beating heart and pulsing arteries.

To remedy some of these problems, biomedical engineers have developed a range of surgical sealants that can bond tissues to stop leakages. Yet, “currently available sealants are not suitable for most surgical applications and they do not work alone without the need for suturing or stapling because they lack an optimal combination of elasticity, tissue adhesion and strength. Using our expertise in creating materials for regenerative medicine, we aimed to create an actual fix for this problem in a multi-disciplinary effort with clinicians and bioengineers,”

full article

Cellulose nanofibrils have properties that can improve the characteristics of bio-based 3D-printing pastes. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is developing a 3D wound care product for monitoring wound condition in hospital care. However, the first commercial nanocellulose applications will be seen in indoor decoration elements, textiles, and the production of mock-ups.

3D printing has proven to be an efficient manufacturing method for complex, customized, and light structures. In addition to thermoplastics, 3D printing materials include metals, ceramics and foodstuffs. The range of biomaterials in 3D paste printing is still fairly limited, since pastes pose unique challenges: their structure must not collapse during printing and the objects manufactured must remain sufficiently strong, rigid or flexible after drying. In 3D biomaterial filaments, however, commercial products already exist … read more

This is an edited, translated transcript of a conversation taped on June 24, 2018, during the 78th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Orlando, Florida. Prof Ronan Roussel, endocrinologist and diabetologist in Paris, France, spoke with diabetologist Florine Féron and cardiologist Jean-Philippe Kevorkian, both from Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris, about diabetic foot ulcers, amputations, and bedside bone biopsy.

Hello, and welcome to Medscape’s set at the 2018 ADA conference in Orlando. Today our webcast is devoted to diabetic foot. It’s not the most often reported complication of diabetes in abstracts or oral presentations at conferences, but there have been some interesting data at this year’s ADA conference. Joining me to talk about a study they presented during an oral session on diabetic foot are diabetologist Florine Féron and cardiologist Jean-Philippe Kevorkian, both from the Department of Diabetology at Hôpital Lariboisière. … read more

Under ideal circumstances, a break in the skin would stimulate the skin’s own repair processes to seal up the wound and restore normal skin. Clotting factors in the blood would stop the bleeding by forming a scab. The second deepest layer of the skin (the dermis) would produce new cells called fibroblasts. Those fibroblasts would produce collagen and other proteins to seal up the wound and produce a seamless layer of new skin. In some cases, evidence of the wound skin completely disappears in about a week, leaving no scar at all.

For the skin to heal without leaving a scar, healing processes have to occur at exactly the right time in precisely the right degree. However, the body puts a premium on fast healing rather than accurate healing.¹ Prehistoric man had a better chance at survival if a wound healed quickly than if it had healed perfectly. The skin had to close quickly to prevent excessive blood loss and infection. When the skin heals quickly, the skin that covers the wound is structurally different from normal skin. The wound heals, but the scar tissue that remains is usually permanent.

read more

University of Toronto researchers have developed a handheld 3-D skin printer that deposits even layers of skin tissue to cover and heal deep wounds. The team believes it to be the first device that forms tissue in situ, depositing and setting in place, within two minutes or less.

The research, led by Ph.D. student Navid Hakimi under the supervision of Associate Professor Axel Guenther of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and in collaboration with Dr. Marc Jeschke, director of the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital and professor of immunology at the Faculty of Medicine, was recently published in the journal Lab on a Chip … read more

AcryMed is touting their latest innovation in wound healing: Dissolved oxygen delivery, via their Oxygenesys system:

Our research shows that these new devices deliver significant amounts of dissolved oxygen, which is the biologically relevant form” said Dr. Bruce Gibbins, Founder and Chief Technical Officer at AcryMed. “We conducted studies on human donor skin to show for the first time that through Oxygenesys TDO, sufficient oxygen penetrates deep into tissues to make up for the oxygen deficiency … read more

Keywords:
Oxygen therapy,
OxyGenesys,
AcryMed,
SilvaSorb,
Chronic wounds

AcryMed’s OxyGenesys for Wound O2 Delivery: Where It Stands in 2025

Original Post Date: August 2, 2018

Updated: June 4, 2025

Update Note: This post has been updated in June 2025 to provide the latest insights on OxyGenesys and to introduce NATROX O₂, a modern alternative for topical oxygen therapy in wound care. We’ve added new details to help you stay informed about the best options for managing chronic wounds.

Oxygen is critical for wound healing, playing a key role in cell growth, infection prevention, and reducing inflammation. However, chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers or venous leg ulcers often suffer from hypoxia—low oxygen levels due to poor blood flow. This is where topical oxygen therapies (TOT) come in, delivering oxygen directly to the wound to support healing.

Back in 2018, we covered AcryMed’s OxyGenesys, a promising system for wound oxygen delivery. Let’s revisit OxyGenesys, explore its current status, and compare it to a leading alternative, NATROX O₂, which is making waves in 2025.

OxyGenesys: What We Knew in 2018

OxyGenesys was developed by AcryMed, a Beaverton, Oregon-based company focused on wound care innovations. Dr. Bruce Gibbins, AcryMed’s Founder and Chief Technical Officer, shared that OxyGenesys was designed to deliver “significant amounts of dissolved oxygen, which is the biologically relevant form” for wound healing.

AcryMed’s studies on human donor skin showed that OxyGenesys could penetrate deep into tissues, addressing oxygen deficiencies in chronic wounds. This was a big deal because deeper oxygen delivery could potentially accelerate healing, reduce infection risks, and improve outcomes for patients with hard-to-heal wounds.

At the time, OxyGenesys seemed like a game-changer, especially since topical oxygen therapy was gaining traction as a non-invasive way to treat chronic wounds. But what’s happened since then?

OxyGenesys in 2025: Is It Still Available?

Unfortunately, the trail for OxyGenesys goes cold after 2018. AcryMed was acquired by I-Flow Corporation in 2008 for $25 million, with the goal of expanding I-Flow’s wound care offerings. I-Flow was then bought by Kimberly-Clark Healthcare in 2009, which later became part of Owens & Minor.

Employee reviews on Glassdoor suggest AcryMed was shut down after these acquisitions, with the last update from 2015 mentioning its closure. There’s no recent public data on OxyGenesys—no new studies, product listings, or mentions in Owens & Minor’s current portfolio, which now focuses on brands like HALYARD and MediChoice.

A 2025 post on our site referenced an abdominoplasty trial involving OxyGenesys, but the results were inconclusive, showing no significant healing benefits. However, this trial focused on cosmetic surgery wounds, not chronic wounds, which may not align with OxyGenesys’ intended use.

Without updates from Owens & Minor or AcryMed, it’s likely that OxyGenesys is no longer available, possibly discontinued after AcryMed’s closure. If you have information on its current status, we’d love to hear from you in the comments!

A Modern Alternative: NATROX O₂

While OxyGenesys may no longer be an option, topical oxygen therapy remains a vital tool for wound care, and newer technologies have stepped up. One standout is NATROX O₂, developed by Inotec AMD Ltd., which shares OxyGenesys’ goal of delivering oxygen to wounds but with modern advancements and robust clinical evidence as of 2024.

NATROX O₂ is a portable, battery-powered device that provides continuous topical oxygen therapy (cTOT) at a low flow rate of 11ml/hour. It includes an Oxygen Generator that produces pure, humidified oxygen from atmospheric air, and a sterile Oxygen Delivery System with a wheel-shaped design that conforms to the wound, allowing exudate to pass while optimizing oxygen diffusion.

Unlike older systems, NATROX O₂ is silent, lightweight, and designed for 24/7 use, making it practical for both home and clinical settings. It works with most secondary dressings, adding to its versatility.

The evidence for NATROX O₂ is compelling. A 2021 study showed a 71% greater healing rate for chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers compared to standard care alone. Patients also reported a 76% reduction in pain, and wounds saw a 73% greater size reduction.

In 2023, the Wound Healing Society gave cTOT a Level 1 evidence rating, and the American Diabetes Association included it in their guidelines for hard-to-heal wounds. NATROX O₂ has been successfully used in over 30 countries, with case studies showing faster healing, lower infection rates, and even limb salvage in severe cases.

Compared to OxyGenesys, NATROX O₂ likely offers a similar focus on sustained oxygen delivery to combat hypoxia, but with the advantage of being actively available and backed by recent data. While OxyGenesys emphasized deep tissue penetration, NATROX O₂’s continuous flow ensures a steady oxygen gradient, which may achieve similar benefits for chronic wound healing.

Why This Matters for Wound Care

Topical oxygen therapies like OxyGenesys and NATROX O₂ address a critical need in wound care: providing oxygen to wounds that traditional treatments can’t heal. If OxyGenesys is no longer available, NATROX O₂ offers a modern, evidence-based alternative that’s accessible today.

For patients, caregivers, and professionals visiting woundcareweekly.com, exploring options like NATROX O₂ can lead to better outcomes for chronic wounds. Interested in learning more about NATROX O₂? Visit their official site for details on how it works and how to access it for your wound care needs [Note: You can insert an affiliate link here if you join a program with NATROX O₂ or a distributor].

Stay tuned to woundcareweekly.com for more updates on wound care innovations.

This week, it was announced that the owner of a company that provided durable medical equipment had pleaded guilty to a federal charge of health care fraud. The defendant carried out a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $9.4 million in District of Columbia Medicaid payments. 72-year-old Waveney Blackman of Bowie, Maryland pleaded guilty. She is now scheduled to be sentenced on October 18, 2018.

The defendant was the sole owner and CEO of WaveCare Health Services LLC, which was also known as WaveCare Healthcare Services LLC. The company provided durable medical equipment, such as wound care and incontinence supplies to Medicaid beneficiaries and others. The company became a Medicaid provider in 2008. Plea documents show that Blackman devised and carried out a scheme to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid for durable medical equipment .. read more

Chronic skin ulcers such as those associated with diabetes are notoriously difficult to treat. As a result, we’ve seen experimental approaches such as spray-on skin, ultrasound band-aids, and silver-laced dressings. Now, scientists are getting very good results using a high-tech lamp.

Developed by a team from Britain’s University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Trust, the device has a total of 32 bulbs which emit a combination of infrared, red and ultraviolet light.

Led by Dr. Michael Hughes, the researchers tested it on eight patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, a condition in which the immune system attacks the fingers and toes. Each person received two 15-minute treatments per week, for a period of three weeks … read more

At Trinity University’s Department of Engineering Science, students aren’t just taking the summer off. Many are doing important research about diabetes that they hope will eventually save limbs and lives.

“Everyone is very excited to hear about the work we are doing, and it’s nice to hear that it’s going to impact lives around me,” junior Abbie Jones said.

Abbie and her research partner Adil have been working on a way to help common diabetic wounds heal faster using something called a “hydro-gel wound dressing,” which helps heal from the inside out.

“With a hydro-gel, you can lay more inside and on top of the wound, instead of a Band-Aid, to help with the wound healing process,” said Jones, adding that research like this is needed because the number of diabetics is skyrocketing. “There are a large number of Type 2 diabetics in the U.S. currently, and many of them have the foot ulcers that are common occurrence with diabetes.”

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How much are residents earning in 2018, and are they satisfied with their earnings? How much debt do they have? More than 1900 residents in 29-plus specialties told us how much they earn, as well as the hours they work, how much scut work they have, and what their relationships with attendings, nurses, and PAs are like. All participants were enrolled in US medical resident programs. Average resident salary appears to be trending upward. Over the past 3 years, the average salary has increased by about 7%. The average salary for residents overall is $59,300 … read more

A staple of the news headlines in the UK over the past couple of years has been the periodic outbreak of so-called ‘Superbug’ infections in hospitals, when antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria cause a high proportion of secondary infections in patients. Although the majority of such infections are relatively mild, they can develop into potentially fatal conditions including sepsis, toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing pneumonia. To keep things in context, the Superbug (or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)), for all its virulence, is simply the latest and most advanced version of a problem that spans human history – how to effectively combat bacterial infections that develop in wounds or injuries. Such infections were nearly always fatal before the development and wide-scale use of antibiotics; for example, in a military context, secondary infection and disease accounted for a far greater number of casualties than outright combat (at higher than a 2:1 ratio in the US Civil War) in the nineteenth century. In the ongoing medical arms race between diseases and treatment, then, MRSA is the next evolution on the side of the diseases, and a challenge that scientists and medics are working to meet … read more

IT is estimated that annually the NHS treats over two million wounds at a cost of £5.3 billion and with tougher financial constraints being announced every year, there needs to be ongoing research to ensure the lack of finances doesn’t affect the quality of wound care available.

This was the topic of the opening lecture at the 3rd International Skin Integrity and Tissue Viability Conference hosted by the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention (ISIaIP), in conjunction with the Journal of Wound Care.

The conference attracted 110 delegates from around the world and they listened to the former Head of Vascular Surgery at Bradford’s Royal Infirmary Professor Peter Vowden, as he gave the opening lecture entitled The Burden of Wound Care.

The recently retired wound care expert explained how wounds impose substantial health economic burden on the UK’s NHS.

He argued that it was comparable to that of managing obesity, which in 2012/2013 was valued at £5 billion. “Clinical and economic benefits would accrue from improved systems of care and an increased awareness of the impact that wounds impose on patients and the NHS”, said Professor Vowden … read more

Former Head of Vascular Surgery at Bradford’s Royal Infirmary Professor Peter Vowden gave the opening address at the 3rd International Skin Integrity and Tissue Viability Conference which explored advances in and the management of all aspects wound care.

It is estimated that annually the NHS treats over two million wounds at a cost of £5.3 billion and with tougher financial constraints being announced every year, there needs to be ongoing research to ensure the lack of finances doesn’t affect the quality of wound care available.

This was the topic of the opening lecture at the 3rd International Skin Integrity and Tissue Viability Conference hosted by the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention (ISIaIP), in conjunction with the Journal of Wound Care.

The conference attracted 110 delegates from around the world and they listened to the former Head of Vascular Surgery at Bradford’s Royal Infirmary Professor Peter Vowden, as he gave the opening lecture entitled The Burden of Wound Care … read more

U.S. Phase 3 DETECT Study

YAVNE, Israel, June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MediWound Ltd. (Nasdaq:MDWD), a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company bringing innovative therapies to address unmet needs in severe burn and wound management, today announced it has completed enrollment in NexoBrid®U.S. Phase 3 DETECT study. Top-line acute data are currently expected around year end 2018.

“We are happy to achieve this important milestone of completing the enrollment in NexoBrid Phase 3 study, which is one of the most comprehensive randomized controlled studies ever conducted in burn care, and we believe it will support our Biological License Application (BLA) submission to the FDA,” said Gal Cohen, president and chief executive officer of MediWound. “Prior studies of NexoBrid have shown positive results and we eagerly await our top-line acute data. Subject to a successful study outcome, we plan to meet with the FDA to discuss the BLA submission plan. We warmly thank our Principal Investigators, their teams and everyone involved in the study for their commitment and dedication in an effort to advance burn care.”

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     syndrome in a 31-week-old preterm baby

This is a case study of a 31-week-old preterm baby presented with severe amniotic band syndrome of the left leg at birth. Circumferential band with skin defect, exposing the subcutaneous tissue and periosteum of the left tibia was visible on the distal third of the left leg. The left dorsalis pedis artery and posterior tibialis artery pulsations were not palpable, but detectable with handheld Doppler ultrasound device. The capillary refilling time of the toes was good. While waiting for stabilisation of patient’s condition due to the poor lung function, wound management played a role in this case to protect the exposed left tibia from dehydration and necrosis as well as prevention of infection via the skin defect. Wound closure of the left leg was successfully achieved in 18 days … read more

Molecular diagnostics such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based tests provide faster, more complete results than traditional culture-based tests, and their use may improve outcomes for patients with chronic wounds and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), according to new findings presented at the 21st Annual MAD-ID Meeting held May 9 to 12 in Orlando, Florida.

About 6.5 million individuals were afflicted with chronic wounds and SSTIs in the United States in 2009.¹ The costs of treating associated complications reached upward of $25 billion at that time. A more recent study estimated that annual Medicare spending for all wound types ranged from $28.1 billion to a whopping $96.8 billion in 2014 … read more

     Preservation Method Allowing Ambient Storage of Living Tissues

COLUMBIA, Md., June 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.(OTC Pink:OSIR), a regenerative medicine company focused on developing and marketing products for wound care, orthopedics, and sports medicine, announced today the implementation of Prestige Lyotechnology for manufacturing of commercial products.

In 2017, Osiris announced the development of Prestige Lyotechnology, a preservation technique for ambient storage of living tissues (see http://www.osiris.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017-03-30-Prestige-Lyo-Nature-article-PR-FINAL.pdf). In April 2018, studies describing properties of viable lyopreserved tissues were presented at scientific conferences including the Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) and Wound Healing Society (WHS) (see http://www.osiris.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-24-Osiris-to-Present-at-SAWC-Spring-2018-FINAL.pdf).

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MELBOURNE, Australia, June 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Australian stem cell and regenerative medicine company Cynata Therapeutics Limited (ASX:CYP) is pleased to announce that it has received positive data demonstrating the efficacy of its Cymerus™ mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in a preclinical model of diabetic wounds (also known as diabetic ulcers). The studies were conducted independently by the Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing (CTM CRC) and were designed to compare cells from various sources.

Key Highlights:

• Cymerus MSCs resulted in significantly faster wound healing than bone marrow-derived MSCs
• Discussions between Cynata and CTM CRC are underway regarding progressing Cymerus MSCs and CTM CRC’s wound-dressing technology into a clinical trial in human patients with diabetic foot ulcers
• Diabetic wounds are prevalent among the 400m+ diabetics globally and a significant opportunity exists to improve existing treatments and meet a growing unmet medical need

CTM CRC, based in Adelaide, South Australia, is developing an active wound care dressing for the treatment of diabetic wounds. This novel dressing, for which a patent is pending, consists of a polymer-coated silicone dressing seeded with MSCs or similar cells … read more

Eleven leaders in tech — from high school students to large companies — were honored Thursday night during the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council’s annual awards gala.

The CBIC, a nonprofit council of technology-related businesses, organizes the gala every year to celebrate the area’s achievements in innovation.

“There’s so many things happening in Charlottesville, but it’s nowhere in one place,” said 2018 CBIC Student Entrepreneur of the Year Ashwinraj Karthikeyan. “Here, you can talk to all sorts of people doing really cool things in the entrepreneurial community.”

A recent graduate of the University of Virginia, Karthikeyan founded the chronic wound care company InMEDBio as a student. His award included a $1,000 grant.

More than 400 people attended the event at the Paramount Theater, which included a showcase of early-stage startups and an optional dance party.

“Two years ago, when I came to my first one of these, that’s where I met the person who helped make our first prototype,” said gala attendee Arjun Dirghangi while manning a table for his medical startup, Scanoptix … read more

The signing of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 that took place Feb. 9 received much in the way of national media coverage because it ended the United States’ governmental shutdown. However, the act also provided the wound care industry some “wins” that were not well publicized. This article will focus on the major “wins” that pertain to wound care professionals who work in outpatient provider-based departments (PBDs) as well as various other sites of care and payment models.

REMOVED “DIRECT SUPERVISION” IN CRITICAL ACCESS PBDs

Hospital-based outpatient wound care PBDs are required to have direct physician supervision when Medicare beneficiaries are receiving therapeutic services. However, these same departments that are housed in critical access hospitals (CAHs) were exempt from the direct supervision requirement until 2014, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it was going to enforce the direct-supervision requirement for CAHs. At that time, Congress stepped in and prevented CMS from enforcing the direct-supervision requirements for 2014, 2015, and 2016. However, Congress did allow CMS to enforce direct supervision in CAHs effective Jan. 1, 2017. That new requirement surprised many and caught staff members in the CAH space off guard, especially among those who did not have the availability of physicians or other qualified healthcare professionals who could be immediately available when patients were receiving care in the PBDs … read more

     and decorative elements

Cellulose nanofibrils have properties that can improve the characteristics of bio-based 3D-printing pastes. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is developing a 3D wound care product for monitoring wound condition in hospital care. However, the first commercial nanocellulose applications will be seen in indoor decoration elements, textiles and the production of mock-ups.

3D printing has proven to be an efficient manufacturing method for complex, customised and light structures. In addition to thermoplastics, 3D printing materials include metals, ceramics and foodstuffs. The range of biomaterials in 3D paste printing is still fairly limited, since pastes pose unique challenges: their structure must not collapse during printing and the objects manufactured must remain sufficiently strong, rigid or flexible after drying. In 3D biomaterial filaments, however, commercial products already exist … read more

MALAT1 Promote Human Dermal Fibroblast Migration and Ischemic Wound Healing

Using Pressure-Sensing Shoe Insoles

The SurroSense Rx system is a set of pressure-sensing shoe insoles that connect wirelessly to a proprietary smartwatch and is intended for people with diabetes who have mild to moderate sensory loss associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage. By providing real-time alerts about plantar pressure distributions, or the area of pressure between the foot and the surface supporting it, users of the SurroSense Rx system can alter their activities in order to relieve unsafe pressures. The SurroSense Rx system is used in addition to current standard-of-care treatment for the prevention of plantar ulcers in diabetic patients. There is currently no available evidence that using the SurroSense Rx system prevents plantar ulcers. However, there are ongoing clinical trials that may identify patient populations that will benefit from its use.

Over time, high blood sugar in people living with diabetes causes damage to the peripheral nerves — the nerves that serve the arms, hands, legs, and feet. This damage, called diabetic peripheral neuropathy, includes symptoms such as painful tingling or burning sensations in the hands and feet, and the loss of protective sensations such as feeling pain or temperature changes.¹ When pain sensation is lost, there is an increased risk of developing open sores caused by prolonged pressure or other injuries … read more

     a paradigm shift in wound care

Chronic ulcers continue to pose a significant clinical and economic burden for both patients and wound care practitioners. Despite good standard of care (SOC), many wounds fail to heal. Wound healing requires a complex cascade of physiologic and immunologic processes as well as proper nutrition. An adequate balance of macro- and micronutrients is important to support the cellular activities that are necessary for repairing and remodeling of tissue. Despite being well documented in a number of clinical studies there continues to be a gap in recognizing nutritional deficits as well as appropriate clinical interventions in patients with chronic wounds. Effective management of malnutrition in patients with chronic wounds requires collaboration among multiple clinical disciplines. A holistic nutritional management approach may yield both clinical and economic benefits … read more

As advancements in connectivity and miniaturization of electronics are made, smart sensors are beginning to find traction within the wound care pathway. IDTechEx has published a report titled Advanced Wound Care Technologies 2018 – 2028 and have previously reported on why disruption is needed in wound care in the next 10 years. Here, we explore a few connected devices that can contribute to the prevention of chronic wounds of pressure ulcers (PUs) and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Sensors for the Prevention of Pressure Ulcers MedicusTek have created the Sensable Care system which relies on a connected sensor pad or sensor mattress for detection of patient positioning to prevent pressure ulcer formation. By tracking patient position over time, the Sensable Care system can determine which areas of the patient are being exposed to prolonged pressure and notify caregivers accordingly for repositioning. The system resets if the patient successfully repositions themselves, thus decreasing the burden on caregivers where possible. Moreover, caregivers can receive immediate feedback as to whether their repositioning efforts were adequate in reliving the excessive pressure.

Read more at: https://www.wearabletechnologyinsights.com/articles/14270/connected-sensors-for-the-prevention-of-chronic-ulcers

Pancreatic cell transplants have the potential to be a permanent treatment for Type 1 diabetes. Problem is, the cells have trouble forming the blood vessel networks they need to thrive and provide insulin to patients. So scientists in the U.S. and Japan devised a new tissue engineering method to tackle this blood-supply problem in pancreatic cell transplantation. Using the method, they created pancreatic islets that cured severe Type 1 diabetes when they were transplanted into mice.

Human pancreatic islets tend to lose their blood vessels while being prepped for transplant, and attempts to combat this—including creating new islets from stem cells—have been largely unsuccessful, the researchers, from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Yokohama City University (YCU), wrote in their study. So to speed up vascularization in transplanted tissues, the researchers, led by Takanori Takebe of Cincinnati Children’s and Hideki Taniguchi of YCU, created a technique called self-condensation cell culture … read more

The first step towards ending avoidable amputations within a generation

Diabetic Foot Australia September 2017

Introduction
On any given day in Australia, the national burden of diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) is
significant:
• 300,000 people are at-risk of developing DFD
• 50,000 people are living with DFD
• 12,500 people are living with a diabetes-related amputation
• 1,000 people are in hospital because of DFD
• 12 people will undergo a diabetes-related amputation
• 4 people will die because of DFD
• $4 million will be spent managing DFD
To reduce this large national burden, the following three priorities should be addressed for people
with, or at-risk of, DFD:
A. Access to affordable and effective care
B. Provision of safe quality care
C. Research and development to improve patient outcomes

download pdf

for the Prevention of Chronic Ulcers

As advancements in connectivity and miniaturization of electronics are made, smart sensors are beginning to find traction within the wound care pathway. IDTechEx Research has published a report titled Advanced Wound Care Technologies 2018–2028 and have previously reported on why disruption is needed in wound care in the next 10 years. Here, IDTechEx explores a few connected devices that can contribute to the prevention of chronic wounds of pressure ulcers (PUs) and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Sensors for the Prevention of Pressure Ulcers

MedicusTek have created the Sensable Care system which relies on a connected sensor pad or sensor mattress for detection of patient positioning to prevent pressure ulcer formation. By tracking patient position over time, the Sensable Care system can determine which areas of the patient are being exposed to prolonged pressure and notify caregivers accordingly for repositioning. The system resets if the patient successfully repositions themselves, thus decreasing the burden on caregivers where possible. Moreover, caregivers can receive immediate feedback as to whether their repositioning efforts were adequate in reliving the excessive pressure … read more

by Margaret Heale RN, MSc, CWOCN

The research lecturer’s name was Terry, and he had my respect and attention. Many of the students were dreading the research modules but were cheered by the prospect of Terry taking us through it.

Terry included this little gem in his introduction to research. A group of researchers came up with a hypothesis that spiders had ears in their legs. How could they prove this, they wondered. They procured some arachnids of exactly the same type and took great pains to match them for all important parameters. They checked carefully the hearing of each. Placing them in turn in a quiet, stable tray, each time they yelled “Run!” every spider would take off at speed at the sound. The next step was to remove the spiders’ ears, so the legs of each spider were removed. Now when the researchers yelled “Run!” the spiders did not hear and did not move at all. So there you have it, clear undeniable proof, spiders have ears in their legs. It is very easy to see the flaw in this rather cruel piece of research, but sadly it is not always that easy … read more