Category: Articles

Many specialists unite with one goal: preventing amputation. When podiatrists encounter patients that may lose a leg from peripheral arterial disease (PAD), vascular treatment is an urgent need. But, the question may arise: “Why doesn’t the vascular community seem to agree on how to best intervene?” … A July 2015 research paper compared the primary and secondary outcomes of angioplasty versus open vascular surgery.1 The research found both treatments equally effective in amputation prevention, improving the quality of life and life expectancy of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), but that endovascular treatment offered additional benefits of lower cost, lower complication rates, and easier recoveries. The study also showed a lower 30-day mortality rate for angioplasty. The article summary stated, “Based on these results it is suggested that angioplasty should be considered as the first choice for feasible CLI patients.” … read more

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
We read with pleasure the recent article in your journal on the cost-effectiveness of remote diabetic foot temperature monitoring by Brooks et al.1 Diabetic foot ulcers pose a major healthcare burden, and insight into cost-effectiveness of treatments in this field is scarce, especially in preventing foot ulcers.2 Studies with original data are clearly preferred to inform clinicians, researchers and policy-makers on the potential cost-savings and health gains of preventative interventions. But modelling analyses such as by Brooks et al can provide relevant insights … For modelling analyses to be meaningful, assumptions must be based on both published evidence and clinical reasoning, and must be reasonable and logical. For a cost-effectiveness analysis on remote foot temperature monitoring, two assumptions are key … read more

The team led by Prof Gopal Nath of the department of Microbiology said that wounds that took months and years to heal, could now be cured in days or months
A team of scientists from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have found a cure for those suffering from chronic wounds, particularly with diabetic foot ulcers. The team led by Prof Gopal Nath of the department of Microbiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, said that wounds that took months and years to heal, could now be cured in days or months. The findings of study have been published in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, US … read more

Wound care continues to evolve as care expands beyond the wound clinic. As we move to 2022, Today’s Wound Clinic Clinical Editor Caroline E. Fife, MD, FAAFP, CWS, FUHM, and Managing Editor Brian McCurdy discuss meeting the challenges and how TWC will continue evolving in its digital format … watch video

a retrospective and propensity score matching analysis
The use of temporary diverting stoma has become more common in low colorectal anastomosis to reduce anastomotic complications. Surgical site infection (SSI) at the stoma closure site has been one of the most frequent postoperative complications. The aim of this study was to compare the short-term outcomes between conventional primary suture closure and negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwelling (NPWTi-d) therapy following purse-string suturing, using propensity score matching analysis. We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 107 patients who underwent stoma closure between January 2016 and October 2020. The primary outcome was the proportion of SSI. The secondary outcome was the day of postoperative length of stay. Propensity score matching with one-to-one match was performed for reducing treatment selection bias … read more

An article in the Journal of Wound Care surveyed participants on awareness, implementation, barriers, and outcomes of wound hygiene.

Data from a survey created to better understand wound care awareness, implementation, barriers, and outcomes was recently published in the Journal of Wound Care. The survey, which was created by the Journal of Wound Care projects team with consultation from ConvaTech, was 26 questions long and featured a variety of multiple and open-ended questions. It was sent out by email and online, being open for a little over 12 weeks. Nonprobability sampling was used and authors of the survey reviewed the outputs to help analyze the data with the support of a medical writer … read more

A 48-year-old Type II insulin dependent diabetic male presented in the acute care setting with sepsis due to an abscess of the right foot involving bone and deep soft tissue structures of the midfoot. The wound and associated sepsis made limb loss and/or mortality a pressing concern. Options were primary limb amputation versus an attempt at limb salvage … In addition to his diabetes, past medical history included chronic kidney disease stage 3, sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure dependence, peripheral neuropathy, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroid, morbid obesity, Moya disease, and secondary renal hyperparathyroidism … read more

There is increasing evidence regarding the wound healing potential of platelet-derived autologous by-products. We provide preliminary data regarding the use of a new plasma rich in growth factors–derived autologous topical ointment for the management of hard-to-heal wounds … read more

Barrier products, such as skin barrier films, are designed to protect the skin by minimising its exposure to excessive moisture and irritants. These may be topical preparations (available in a spray, foam applicator or wipe format) that can be applied to the skin without stinging, and dry quickly to create a breathable and transparent film. They provide a protective water-repellent barrier against irritants and harmful bodily substances, such as urine and faeces … Barrier films will not affect dressing application and are simple for both healthcare providers and patients/carers to use. Sterile products are particularly useful as they can be used on both intact and injured skin and are recommended for use in patients with a high risk of infection … read more

The Summit will provide a critically needed multi-disciplinary meeting for payers, government agency policymakers, prominent researchers, wound care medical specialty societies, patient and clinical associations, wound care clinics and manufacturers to address the shared goals of:

• Addressing the current state of wound care research and clinical trial design
• Exploring solutions to address the limitations in the wound care evidence-base
• Communicating with payer medical directors on the development of coverage policies and the use of clinical practice guidelines in coverage decisionmaking
• Defining “next steps” to actualize solutions
• Participating in a uniquely intimate gathering of leading decisionmakers

… read more

At wound clinics, physicians and staff have dealt with a lot over the past two years while the pandemic has raged. First, they were in the trenches as COVID-19 arose and hospitals were swamped, with many patients on ventilators. Even after many were vaccinated, the Delta variant caused another surge. Now, the Omicron variant is spreading quickly, with physicians facing an even more contagious version of the disease … “It still feels like the hits just keep on coming and we are not out of it yet,” says Caroline E. Fife, MD, FAAFP, CWS, FUHM. “Omicron is spreading so fast it’s mind blowing.” … The transmissibility of Omicron is a concern, as evidenced by what experts are seeing in data, according to Dr. Fife … read more

in a Diabetic Patient: A Case Report
The surgical treatment of choice for ischaemic heart disease is Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). The Great Saphenous Vein (GSV) is the most frequently used conduit for CABG, and the technique for harvesting the GSV entails a long open skin incision, usually comprising the entire leg. The vast proportion of patients experience leg wounds as opposed to sternal wounds. The rate of great saphenous vein harvest site infections (GSVHSI) is reported to be between 1% and 24%. Risk factors associated with GSVHSI include peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, smoking, obesity, and chronic renal failure. It is well a recognized fact that one of the most significant challenges to wound healing is infection, leading to a poor prognosis and increased morbidity.4 Hence, although rare, complications arising from the great saphenous vein harvest site may require surgical debridement leading to a delay in recovery and may negatively impact the patient … read more

This 30-minute presentation features learning opportunities that will provide in-depth instruction and demonstration in wound care treatments. After this webinar, the learner will be able to:

Identify the role of proper wound cleansing
Discuss how to select and use non-toxic wound cleansers
Describe advantages of collagen for managing a chronic wound
… read more

Cure For Diabetic Foot Ulcers: People with diabetes, often struggle with diabetic foot ulcers, but not anymore. A team of scientists from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have found a cure. The findings of the study were published in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, US. The team led by Prof Gopal Nath of the department of Microbiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, said that wounds that took months and years to heal, could now be cured in days or months … read more

Islet transplantation has emerged over the past few decades as a potential cure for type 1 diabetes. However, transplantation efforts have faced setbacks as the immune system continues to eventually reject new islets. Current immunosuppressive drugs offer inadequate protection for transplanted cells and tissues and are plagued by undesirable side effects … read more

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are one of the most common reasons for hospitalization of diabetic patients and frequently results in amputation of lower limbs. Of the one million people who undergo non-traumatic leg amputations annually worldwide, 75% are performed on people who have type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The risk of death at 10 years for a diabetic with DFU is twice as high as the risk for a patient without a DFU. The rate of amputation in patients with DFU is 38.4%4. Infection is a common (>50%) complication of DFU. Emerging evidence underscores the significant risk that biofilm infection poses to the non-healing DFU. Biofilms are estimated to account for 60% of chronic wound infections. In the biofilm form, bacteria are in a dormant metabolic state. Thus, standard clinical techniques like the colony forming unit (CFU) assay to detect infection may not detect biofilm infection. Thus, biofilm infection may be viewed as a silent maleficent threat in wound care … read more

Decisions about which wound care products and services are (or are not) covered under Medicare are made at the national level by the CMS or regionally by Medicare contractors that each make local coverage determinations (LCDs) for the parts of the country they cover. The impact of these policies is significant. If something is not covered by Medicare, you cannot be reimbursed for it. As a result, many clinical treatment decisions are guided by Medicare coverage decisions rather than best clinical practices … read more

• Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are chronic wounds in the foot or feet associated with neuropathy and/or peripheral artery disease (PAD) of the lower limb in patients with diabetes mellitus.
• Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in the United States there are nearly one in four adults living with diabetes, which indicates that a large number of Americans are at risk of DFU.
• DFUs will develop in up to 34% of patients with diabetes at some time in their lives, and of those, approximately 15%–25% will require an amputation.
• Moderate or severe malnutrition has been identified in over half of patients with DFU, and malnutrition in DFU is correlated with increased lower-extremity amputation.

… read more

Procedures have assumed an increasingly important role in patient care
During their lifetime, up to 30% of people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer. Diabetes-related foot ulcers and lower extremity amputations result in a major burden for patients, their family, and the healthcare system. Interest in this complex and challenging specialty has been growing and, in recent decades, there has been acceptance of a shift towards operative correction of diabetic foot deformities. Surgical management of diabetic foot deformities has now become an integral part of the overall care … read more

The European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) has released 2022 clinical practice guidelines on the management of chronic venous disease (CVD) of the lower limb to update its 2015 recommendations. The document, authored by Marianne G De Maeseneer (Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and colleagues, was published online ahead of print in the European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (EJVES) … read more

Pancreatic islets control insulin production when blood sugar levels change, and in Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys such insulin-producing cells. Islet transplantation has emerged over the past few decades as a potential cure for Type 1 diabetes. With healthy transplanted islets, Type 1 diabetes patients may no longer need insulin injections, but transplantation efforts have faced setbacks as the immune system continues to eventually reject new islets… “At my past program, I worked on wound healing for diabetic foot ulcers, which are a complication of Type 1 diabetes,” Burke said. “As someone who’s 26, I never really want to get there, so I felt like a better strategy would be to focus on how we can treat diabetes now in a more succinct way that mimics the natural occurrences of the pancreas in a non-diabetic person.” … read more

Indian pharmaceutical firm Alkem Laboratories has announced to launch a unique patented technology for the treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU). The solution would be based on disruptive 4D Bioprinting technology, which would be used to treat deep, non-healing chronic wounds and is expected to be launched in the Indian market in the latter half of 2022 post regulatory approval … This advanced technology for DFU management has a high scope of preventing amputations in diabetic patients. This technology will be available at affordable rates to Indian patients at a time when there is no definitive treatment for DFU in India … read more

LinkedIn:
Alkem Laboratories

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Healogics®, the nation’s leading provider of world-class wound care, is announcing their “Healing Can’t Wait” program for the millions of people struggling with a non-healing wound. Chronic wounds affect seven million Americans, limiting their quality of life, as well as life expectancy … With the 2022 Healing Can’t Wait program, Healogics looks to address the significant increase in amputations observed in recent years due to the impact of COVID-19 on patient treatment schedules. It is critical that patients understand the urgency and importance of treatment. Through the 2022 Healing Can’t Wait program and resources, Healogics Wound Care Centers will focus on educating the underserved chronic wound population … “Treatment delays and the staggering increase in amputations drive us to work even harder to improve awareness and access to advanced wound care. Any untreated wound is at risk for complications such as infection, hospitalization or amputation,” explains David Bassin, Chief Executive Officer of Healogics. “This is why the Healogics Healing Can’t Wait program is so critical.” … People living with diabetes, heart disease or peripheral artery disease (PAD) are at an even greater risk for health complications that stem from an untreated wound … read more

LinkedIn:
Healogics, Inc.

medwireNews: Early intensive glycemic control may reduce the long-term risk for foot ulcers in people with type 1 diabetes, suggest data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study … The DCCT included 1408 people with type 1 diabetes who completed an average of 6.5 years of intensive (target glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] <6.05% [42.6 mmol/mol]) or conventional (no specific glycemic target) diabetes treatment and subsequently underwent 23 years of follow-up in the EDIC study … During this period, 195 participants developed at least one diabetic foot ulcer (48 people had multiple events) and 36 needed lower extremity amputation … read more

A Case Report and Short Review of the Literature
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a low-grade mesenchymal tumor involving the blood and the lymphatic vessels that primarily effaces the skin and is mediated by human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) in more than 90% of patients. There are 4 distinct types of KS. Compared with the classic and AIDS-related variants, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) associated with KS is a relatively rare clinical condition; thus, only a few cases have been reported. Case Report. This report presents a case study of an 87-year-old patient with B-cell CLL and cutaneous KS managed with cryotherapy, along with a short review of the literature. Conclusions. Considering that the method is relatively simple and with few adverse effects, cryotherapy may represent a simple and safe treatment method for cutaneous KS. However, more studies should be conducted … read more

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Health care professionals should consider silver nanoparticle dressings to decrease healing times and improve the quality of life of their patients.

Registrants attending this session will learn:

• The history of silver usage
• The problem of antimicrobial resistance
• Indications and contraindications for the use of medicinal silver
• Variations of medical silver in dressings and their clinical outcomes

… read more

On Wednesday, January 19 at 8:00 PM ET, AAWC will host “Technology in Wound Care,” a webinar presented by Olamide Alabi, MD, RPVI, FACS. Dr. Alabi is an Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine. She was also the keynote speaker at our 2021 Pressure Ulcer Summit.

… register

Treating chronic dermal ulcers and severe burns can be challenging. This webinar will discuss the phases of wound healing and overview wound bed preparation using enzymatic debridement.

… register

Congratulations to TWC’s own Kathleen D. Schaum, MS, who recently received recognition as an Expertscape World Expert in Reimbursement Health Insurance.

Expertscape tweeted the news on Dec. 12 as part of International Universal Health Coverage Day. Expertscape ranks and lists the world’s top experts in Clinical and Research Medicine and calls itself “the objective, current, global resource for patients and referring physicians.” … read more

Patient engagement is a crucial and timely topic, both in terms of wound healing (and, in some cases, symptom management), and in improving individuals’ experiences of the process. This document aims to provide clear guidance in listening and engaging with individuals, and thus optimising the care experience for all key stakeholders, of which the patient is the most important. The document was developed with input from both healthcare professionals and individuals using healthcare services Kathleen D. Schaum … read more

LinkedIn:
Wounds International

Diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) is a devastating complication of diabetes whose pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Here, we profile 174,962 single cells from the foot, forearm, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells using single-cell RNA sequencing. Our analysis shows enrichment of a unique population of fibroblasts overexpressing MMP1, MMP3, MMP11, HIF1A, CHI3L1, and TNFAIP6 and increased M1 macrophage polarization in the DFU patients with healing wounds. Further, analysis of spatially separated samples from the same patient and spatial transcriptomics reveal preferential localization of these healing associated fibroblasts toward the wound bed as compared to the wound edge or unwounded skin … read more

• 50-year-old male with morbid obesity visiting the outpatient wound care center for bilateral lower extremity wounds and lymphedema. Click here for a photo.
• The wound on his leg was present for several months and previously treated with broad spectrum oral antibiotics for cellulitis. Click here for photo.
• Pain, odor and erythema detected from wound, prompting the clinician to perform a fluorescence scan. Click here for photo

… read more

LinkedIn:
Today’s Wound Clinic

The broad purpose of laboratory-based wound research is to obtain a scientific understanding of the mechanistic processes that underpin normal and abnormal wound healing. Translation of this knowledge can lead to the development of new tools, technologies, therapeutics diagnostics and sensors that ultimately will lead to improved wound management and patient care. While this process may seem far removed from the day-to-day challenge of dealing with patients with impaired healing, occasionally we see breakthroughs and achievements that encourage both researchers and clinicians alike … read more

Lower extremity ulcers are a common occurrence in individuals aged over 60. A combination of risk factors and disease processes in these individuals impact the wound healing stages, which leads to the development of chronic, non-healing ulcers. Arterial ulcers account for 8-10% of all lower extremity ulcers. However, the prevalence might be significantly underreported due to the failure to recognize the etiology of leg ulcers. Wound care specialists need to be aware of the differences between arterial ulcers and other ulcer types to provide effective wound care … read more

Wound Week™ 2022 is an innovative, unparalleled educational opportunity that will feature superior content delivered by multidisciplinary faculty with true clinical expertise. This conference will allow clinician driven training and education in wound care, vascular and hyperbaric medicine. In addition to education and training, this meeting will offer unmatched clinician networking … brochure (PDF)

Access to healthcare has enhanced by leaps and bounds with the arrival of mobile technology The most interesting trends in the healthcare industry now comprise flexible and efficient wound care, among others. Extensive smartphone penetrations, along with cost-effective internet connectivity, have committed to taking wound care to the next level. Today, one can have the greatest of wound care facilities through smartphone apps. Traditionally, the healthcare industry had to offer services at dedicated wound care facilities. This required an appropriately-skilled workforce, maintenance of facilities, and important overheads, which occurred in higher costs for patients. With smartphone apps, many of these difficulties have been overcome … read more

An article in the Journal of Wound Care surveyed participants on awareness, implementation, barriers, and outcomes of wound hygiene
Data from a survey created to better understand wound care awareness, implementation, barriers, and outcomes was recently published in the Journal of Wound Care. The survey, which was created by the Journal of Wound Care projects team with consultation from ConvaTech, was 26 questions long and featured a variety of multiple and open-ended questions. It was sent out by email and online, being open for a little over 12 weeks. Nonprobability sampling was used and authors of the survey reviewed the outputs to help analyze the data with the support of a medical writer … read more

Paris, France – April 15-16, 2022

This year with the refreshing theme on “Emerging and Innovative Approaches for Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration”.

Wound Care Congress is all set to bring together the eminent scholars from the wound care and tissue regeneration community presenting the unsurpassed opportunities to present and explore the future wound healing and tissue science medicine.

Witness the gathering the world-leading and renowned academicians, business delegates, principal investigators, nurses, homeopathists, researchers, students to witness the futuristic ideologies put forth by the experts.

This integrative 2-day event deliberates the new strategies, convictions that will impact the process of your professional development. Join us with your research and business tactics which will direct to the optimistic approach to the advancements of the future wound care & tissue regeneration.

Connect with us to Socialize, Interact, Network, and Collaborate at Wound Care Conference 2022.

… read more

This webinar, presented by Matt Berezo, Joshua Budman, Abbey Cooper, and Cathy Thomas Hess will discuss how wound care-specific analytics can impact a practice’s workflow. Specifically, the presenters will discuss several clinical analytics models, how they are validated, and how clinicians can use them to improve their clinical and operational outcomes … register

Multiple single-center studies have reported significant reductions in major amputations among patients with diabetic foot ulcers after initiation of multidisciplinary teams. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between multidisciplinary teams (ie, two or more types of clinicians working together) and the risk of major amputation and to compile descriptions of these diverse teams … read more

The awards are ‘The Olympics of Wound Care’ and will culminate in an evening which will celebrate excellence in practicing research internally. This will be the first celebration of its kind in the UAE, recognising the fantastic work clinicians in the world and across the region have undertaken. There will be fourteen categories covering a range of wild therapy areas.

Nominations are open to individuals, teams, organisations, societies, companies, charities, and government organisations whose work has made a huge impact based on work carried out over the last year.

The deadline has been extended! You have until the 17th of January to enter … read more

improves patient outcomes vs standard of care: Results of a prospective randomized controlled multi-center clinical trial

The prevalence of diabetes in the United States continues to rise, with the disease now affecting 34.2 million, with an estimated additional 84 million at risk of progressing to diabetes in the coming years.1 The lifetime incidence of DFUs among diabetics is 19% to 34%, with recurrent ulceration reported as approximately 40% at 1 year and 60% at 3 years.2 Management is challenging and associated with substantial socio-economic burden approaching $40 billion annually in direct costs.3 Approximately 70% of DFUs resolve with standard wound care therapies. However, the natural healing cascade is arrested in the remaining 30%, which ultimately become chronic wounds.4, 5 Patients with chronic wounds typically suffer loss of function, recurrent infection, and significant morbidity.6 Amputations are reported in up to 20% of cases with an associated mortality of 70% at 5 years post-amputation … read more

in Appreciably Shorter Time and at Lower Costs

Demonstrates Superiority Compared to Standard of Care in Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial
PRINCETON, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Geistlich Medical business unit of Geistlich Pharma AG, a family owned, Swiss-based global leader in regenerative solutions, is proud to announce the results from their clinical study of the Geistlich Derma-Gide® Advanced Wound Matrix. The study, “Use of a Purified Reconstituted Bilayer Matrix (PRBM) in the Management of Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers Improves Patient Outcomes vs Standard of Care – Results of a Prospective Randomized Controlled Multi-Center Clinical Trial,” was peer-reviewed and published in the International Wound Journal – Wiley Online Library … The paper was authored by David G. Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD; Dennis P. Orgill, MD, PhD; Robert D. Galiano, MD; Paul M. Glat, MD; Jarrod P. Kaufman, MD; Marissa J. Carter, MA, PhD; Lawrence A. DiDomenico, DPM; and Charles M. Zelen, DPM, FACFAS. The paper is now available in the Wiley Online Library at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/iwj.13715 … In a 40-patient, prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter clinical trial comparing a purified reconstituted bilayer matrix (PRBM, Geistlich Derma-Gide) vs. Standard of Care (SOC – collagen alginate dressing), Geistlich Derma-Gide was found to be superior relative to healing rates and time to wound closure … read more

Every WOC nurse is aware of how often we encounter patients with conditions that are prevalent and clinically relevant but their management falls outside of available guidelines that provide direction for the care of we provide. As a result, we sometimes find ourselves managing disorders supported by scant evidence regarding epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment. Fortunately, WOC nurses and there are allies, along with the WOCN Society and its official journal, have a rich history of purposely drawing attention to these disorders, supporting and epidemiologic and clinical research expanding our knowledge of these conditions, and influencing public policies regulating care of these conditions … read more

Welcome to the October 2021 issue of the Journal of Wound Management. Official journal of the European Wound Management Association

This issue of the Journal of Wound Management includes seven original manuscripts. the full issue can be accessed here: Journal of Wound Management. No 22, vol. 3, October 2021

Background: Patient education is an integral part of diabetes management, yet research shows that increased knowledge alone does not translate into behaviour change. Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) have the potential to increase foot self-care and reduce the incidence of diabetic foot disease. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the practice and understanding of podiatrists towards patient-centred support versus prescriptive instruction in consultations regarding diabetic foot care. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional design with a web-based questionnaire distributed to members of the College of Podiatry in the UK. Descriptive statistics, conceptual content analysis and the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient were used to analyse the data. Results: Most respondents reported using BCTs in their consultations “often” or “very often” and that they “strongly agree” or “agree” that their consultations were patient-led … read more

Did I choose the right path? How can I accomplish my professional goals? Do I have any career options outside of clinical practice? How can I decrease stress? I’m sure many reading this blog have asked one or more of these questions of themselves. The work we do as physicians is unique, and often many do not completely “get it,” except fellow physicians. So, whether one desires to be happier or advance in their current professional path, or seeks an entirely different trajectory, physician coaching could be a vital tool to pursue … Coaching has no definitive definition, but the concepts it entails are empowering. Thinking, listening, and verbalizing … read more

The Purple Skin and Toes that you are seeing may not be Deep Tissue Pressure Injury
Many reports are occurring concerning areas of purpuric/purple skin and purple toe lesions in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). Wound care providers are being asked if these skin lesions are forms of Deep Tissue Pressure Injury and/or “skin failure”. Early reports of COVID-19 related skin changes included rashes, acral areas of erythema with vesicles or pustules (pseudo-chilblain), other vesicular eruptions, urticarial lesions, maculopapular eruptions, and livedo or necrosis.1-4 The pattern and presentation of skin manifestations with COVID-19 is more than rashes … read more (PDF)

Bob Jasak, VP of Coverage and Payment Policy with Hart Health Strategies will present on the recently implemented No Surprises Act and address recently released rules related to it and what it means for your practice.

This content is available to APMA members only. If you are a member, please log in to see the full content

Actual Study Start Date: March 30, 2021
Estimated Primary Completion Date: December 2022
Estimated Study Completion Date: December 2023

Umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (MNC) may improve the wound repair ability. This study aims to investigate the role of MNC in refractory diabetic foot ulcer by comparing the combination of PRP and MNC with PRP alone … read more

Wound Care Today 2022 offers delegates a unique learning platform, FREE of charge, to enhance their delivery of care through clinical updates, personal development, practical learning zones and networking in a friendly, open and above all else safe environment … read more

I’m delighted to have been invited to present the best practice recommendations on the Prevention and Management of Periwound Skin Complications at this year’s Wounds UK conference (LeBlanc et al, 2020). These recommendations were devised by the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP) based on existing evidence and reviewed externally by 14 health professionals from seven different countries including Canada, UK, Brazil, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, South Africa, and Indonesia. Consensus statements, of which there are 13, had to reach a level of 80% agreement to be included. The statements are summarised and discussed here for information … read more (PDF)

and Lowers Mortality Rates in High-Risk Diabetic Foot Patients: A Multicenter, Prospective Observational Study
Recurrence of high-risk diabetic feet, after wound, healing is a common challenge among diabetic patients. Continuous use of an offloading device significantly prevents recurrence of high-risk diabetic feet, although patient adherence is imperative to ensuring this therapy’s clinical efficacy. In this study, we explored clinical outcomes of patients with a high-risk diabetic foot who had been prescribed with custom-molded offloading footwear under different adherence conditions … read more

Diabetic foot ulcerations—open sores or wounds that refuse to heal—are a devastating complication affecting more than 15 percent of people with diabetes and resulting in more than 70,000 lower extremity amputations per year in the United States alone. Notably, more than half of patients undergoing amputations due to diabetic foot ulcerations are expected to die within five years—a mortality rate higher than most cancers. Yet, the biological processes at work in diabetic foot ulcerations are poorly understood … read more

Though wound care is a robust evidence-driven field with a broad variety of treatments for chronic wounds that have been proven safe and effective, more research must be done to determine how to best optimize healing for painful, life-threatening wounds. With the anticipated rise in chronic wounds, the Federal government needs to provide more funding for wound care research so patients can get back on their feet, literally, as quickly as possible. The longer a patient suffers from a chronic wound, the more likely they are to contract potentially fatal infections … read more

Alisha R. Oropallo 1,*, Thomas E. Serena 2, David G. Armstrong 3 and Mark Q. Niederauer 4
1 Comprehensive Wound Healing Center and Hyperbarics, Department of Vascular Surgery, Zucker School of Medicine Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
2 Serena Group Research Foundation, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA; serena@serenagroups.com
3 Limb Preservation Program, Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; armstrong@usa.net
4 EO2 Concepts, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA; m.niederauer@eo2.com
* Correspondence: aoropallo@northwell.edu; Tel.: +1-516-233-3780

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and topical oxygen therapy (TOT) including continuous diffuse oxygen therapy (CDOT) are often utilized to enhance wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcerations. High pressure pure oxygen assists in the oxygenation of hypoxic wounds to increase perfusion. Although oxygen therapy provides wound healing benefits to some patients with diabetic foot ulcers, it is currently performed from clinical examination and imaging. Data suggest that oxygen therapy promotes wound healing via angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels. Molecular biomarkers relating to tissue inflammation, repair, and healing have been identified. Predictive biomarkers can be used to identify patients who will most likely benefit from this specialized treatment. In diabetic foot ulcerations, specifically, certain biomarkers have been linked to factors involving angiogenesis and inflammation, two crucial aspects of wound healing. In this review, the mechanism of how oxygen works in wound healing on a physiological basis, such as cell metabolism and growth factor signaling transduction is detailed. Additionally, observable clinical … read more

Shift to virtual care and prioritization of certain procedures key, researchers say
Despite delays in screening and care during the COVID-19 pandemic, there wasn’t a spike in diabetes-related foot amputations, a Canadian study found … In an analysis of nearly 1.5 million adults with diabetes living in Ontario, rates for nearly all diabetes-related services took quite a nosedive in 2020, noted Charles de Mestral, MDCM, PhD, of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues … For starters, comprehensive in-person diabetes care assessment immediately dropped down from March to May, averaging only 28% of the 2019 level, they reported in JAMA Network Open … read more

RedDress Addresses Wound Care Challenges in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Patients suffering with non-healing wounds continue to experience challenges accessing treatment two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic … As new variants of COVID-19 emerge, wound care providers across the United States are reporting a more than 50 percent increase in the severity of wounds. If left unaddressed, these non-healing wounds can have severe consequences including infection, sepsis, amputation, and even death. RedDress is battling this compounding issue researchers have dubbed “the pandemic within the pandemic” utilizing cutting-edge technology … read more

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Wound Pros (https://thewoundpros.com/) today announced Anastassia Johnson as a Senior Manager at the company. The Wound Pros specializes in the treatment and management of chronic non-healing wounds at long-term care facilities. It also partners with facilities to provide advanced wound care dressings for acute and chronic wounds as well as education for staff … Anastassia Johnson joined The Wound Pros in December 2020. She holds a Diploma and an Associate of Science Degree in Computer Systems Technology and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information and Communication Technology. As senior manager at The Wound Pros, she brings over a decade of experience in project management, administration, customer support, quality assurance, training, and analytical decision-making … read more

Researchers examined skin regeneration over two years in various body parts of the adult newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster. Their wounds were very quickly healed over several days without prolonged inflammation. Because of this rapid healing, granulation/dermal fibrosis, and therefore scarring, did not occur. The skin was able to fully regenerate. These findings provide evidence that this newt species may be an ideal model system to study and prevent scar formation in human skin … read more

Up to 90% of patients who undergo open abdominal or pelvic surgery develop postoperative adhesions, or scar tissue. Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical approaches can reduce the severity of the adhesions, but the scar tissue still forms. The cellular response to injury—even intentional injury, such as surgery to repair a problem—results in a cascade of molecules pouring to the site to heal the tissue. But the molecules, working quickly to close the wound, often go too far and bind the wound to nearby healthy tissue. Depending on the location, the resulting scar tissue can cause chronic pain, bowel obstruction and even death … read more

Treatment With Ultraportable Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Compression Therapy
Achilles tendon rupture is a common injury requiring surgical repair. Re-ruptures, infections, delayed wound healing, and hematomas have been reported postoperatively. Objective. This case series described the use of ultraportable negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and compression bandaging following postoperative dehiscence of Achilles tendon repair. Materials and Methods. Retrospective records were reviewed to identify patients who underwent wound management for Achilles tendon dehiscence between January 2014 and January 2018. Patient demographics, wound size at first and last visit, number of visits, and previous treatment data were extracted. Wound management included wound irrigation, surgical debridement, and application of silver dressings, as needed. Therapy was transitioned to ultraportable NPWT with twice-weekly dressing changes. When possible, patients with an ankle-brachial index greater than 0.8 received multilayer, multicomponent compression … read more

When used for wound management, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) delivers subatmospheric pressure at the wound site, exerting multiple beneficial effects, including microstrain, macrostrain, edema management, granulation tissue formation, drainage management, and wound stabilization. Comparative effectiveness research has demonstrated similar wound healing and adverse event outcomes between traditional NPWT (tNPWT) and mechanical NPWT (mNPWT). Therefore, considerations for patient selection for mNPWT vs tNPWT are in alignment with current recommendations, including therapeutic goals, wound-related factors, patient satisfaction, quality of life, care setting, economic-related factors, and product design. Case Reports. The 3 complex patient cases in the present report describe the routine use of mNPWT between December 18, 2020, and June 7, 2021 … read more

In June 1986, I was a relatively new certified enterostomal therapy (ET) nurse. I was standing in line for an industry-sponsored lunch at my first International Association of Enterostomal Therapy (now the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society) meeting at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, NV, when someone around me said, “Look, there’s Norma Gill!” Sure enough, she was a few spots ahead of me in line. I got so excited—it felt like I was in the presence of Florence Nightingale! I went over and introduced myself as a new ET nurse, saying how honored I was to meet her. In her down-home, humble way, she threw her arm around my shoulder and said, “Honey, come sit next to me at lunch.” So began my long and special relationship with this extraordinary pioneer of ET/wound ostomy continence … read more

Announces partnership to award wound care scholarships
The International Alliance of Wound Care Scholarship Foundation® is proud to announce a partnership with Healiant Training Solutions™ to bring hundreds of wound care scholarships to the nurse community. It is the purpose of IAWCSF® to provide financial aid in the form of scholarships to those individuals pursuing an education and certification in wound care. Healiant Training Solutions™ will match up to 100 scholarships that will be donated by sponsors from the wound care product community to be awarded to deserving healthcare providers. Accordingly, the funds will be used specifically for advanced education and subsequent certification in wound care. Our passion is wound care and our mission is to help decrease the rising costs and loss of limbs and life throughout the world. We cannot accomplish this without the help from benefactors such has Healiant. “Partnering with Healiant Training Solutions is just the beginning of what is to come for the future of wound care education and certification,” said Angela Weathersby, Ph.D., Executive Director of IAWCSF … read more

bacterial burden in wounds

This excellent work from Le and coworkers strongly suggests that using a point of care diagnostic device (Moleculight) can identify elevated bacterial load and influence medical decision making … High bacterial load contributes to chronicity of wounds and is diagnosed based on assessment of clinical signs and symptoms (CSS) of infection, but these characteristics are poor predictors of bacterial burden. Point-of-care fluorescence imaging (FL) can improve identification of wounds with high bacterial burden (>10⁴ CFU/g). FL detects bacteria, whether planktonic or in biofilm, but does not distinguish between the two … read more

The patient with Charcot foot is seldom studied for their body’s ability to heal an open diabetic foot ulcer. These patients are usually excluded from all prospective randomized trials. Over a 5-year period, patients with Charcot arthropathy (CA) have been shown to have a 63% chance of developing a CA foot ulcer (CAFU), and those with a foot ulcer have a 37% mortality within the same timeframe.¹ To the authors’ knowledge, a correlation between healing a CAFU and mortality reduction has not been indicated. It is well-known that healing such ulcers improves quality of life and reduces the chance of hospitalization. The primary modality to heal such an ulcer is maintaining or creating a plantar grade foot.1 In a retrospective study of 106 patients with CAFU, Schmidt and Holmes² reported that 44% of the patients’ ulcers had healed, 11% had received a minor amputation, and only 9% had undergone major amputation … read more

Paracrine, Inc. announced today that it is presenting virtually at the Biotech Showcase™ 2022 conference with an online presentation which is now accessible. This year, registered attendees to Biotech Showcase can access Paracrine’s recorded company presentation on-demand.

Paracrine is an emerging biotechnology company developing a first-in-class, device-based, autologous cell therapy. Paracrine’s cell therapy platform bears the promise of cost-effectively addressing common, underlying pathology of several debilitating chronic diseases due to its unique multi-prong mechanisms of action. The company has an FDA approved IDE for the pivotal ASCEND Trial in patients with non-healing diabetic foot ulcers, the STAR II pivotal trial IDE is currently under review at FDA for hand dysfunction due to scleroderma and an IDE is being prepared for submission later this year for the ATHENA III trial in patients with chronic heart failure … read more

APO-2 (Aposec) is a secretome-based trial preparation derived from stressed peripheral blood mononuclear cells. APO-2 was shown to be safe and effective in a multinational Phase I study in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (non-healing foot ulcers). The Data Safety Monitoring Board has therefore recommended continuation into a Phase II clinical trial. This represents a major success for the wound healing preparation developed at MedUni Vienna … read more

Newswise — The addition of a certified wound and skin care nurse to a multiprofessional prone-positioning team at Penn Medicine Princeton Health significantly reduced the odds of patients with COVID-19 developing pressure injuries, according to a study published in American Journal of Critical Care … The development of healthcare-associated pressure injuries is a significant complication of placing patients prone, and prolonged prone positioning for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with higher rates of new pressure injuries, specifically on the face, cheekbones and thorax and over bony prominences … Although many studies have reported the development of pressure injuries in patients with ARDS who are placed prone for prolonged periods, “Pressure Injury Outcomes of a Prone-Positioning Protocol in Patients with COVID and ARDS” is one of the first to explore specific treatment-related strategies for preventing pressure injuries … read more

The COVID-19 pandemic was not associated with increased limb loss among people with diabetes in Ontario, Canada, new research suggests.

The findings, which contrast with those from several other locales worldwide, were published online January 5 in JAMA Network Open by Charles de Mestral, MDCM, PhD, of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, and colleagues.

Despite limited in-person visits with physicians, hospital avoidance, and non-emergency surgical procedure restrictions, excess leg amputations were not seen among people with diabetes during the first 11 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors postulate several reasons for this, including prioritization of foot care … read more

This country is facing a crisis in vascular disease made worse by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a potential answer in the recommendations of the National Wound Care Strategy Programme, being implemented in places like Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, but for it to succeed it needs the full commitment and backing of government … read more

These techniques can save limbs and lives.
The recent global SarsCoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly disrupted the delivery of healthcare across many disciplines and the effect of the pandemic has had an especially detrimental effect on people with diabetes-related foot complications, resulting in more amputations. Major level lower extremity amputation is one of the most feared complications of diabetes. One study found that patients with diabetes and lower extremity complications were more in fear of major amputation than death.1 In many cases, major level amputations can result in loss of function, decline in quality of life, and even death … read more

One year ago, this page contained a message of hope and a wish that 2021 would bring an increased appreciation for the science we desperately need.1 That wish remains as heartfelt now as it was then because the end of this pandemic remains elusive and because the millions of health care providers who have worked behind a mask to provide care deserve all the help they can get. When we think about science, our minds usually ponder new technologies, medications, or expansive, expensive, or complicated treatments or interventions. However, some of the most critical and enduring innovations to help us help patients are neither high-tech nor fancy and expensive … read more

APWH, the Academy of Physicians in Wound Healing, originally formed in 2011 specifically for physicians (MD,DO,DPM) now includes advanced practice providers (Nurse Practitioners-NP and Physician Assistants-PA). The organization provides information and support in three subject areas: clinical and operations-focused education, compensation advocacy, and legislative action on healthcare issues. Additionally, the organization provides this information specifically to and for the benefit of providers that are responsible for diagnosis and management of patient care which defines the demographic of our membership … read more

Wounds come in many shapes and sizes. Some are small and heal quickly, causing few problems. Others are larger and slower to heal. Deep wounds that take especially long to go through the normal healing process, called chronic wounds, are of particular concern; these have a tendency to reopen and are often accompanied by infection and, eventually, scarring. Add to this the fact that chronic wounds are difficult to treat with currently available therapies, and you end up with a serious healthcare challenge … read more

More than 400 million patients worldwide are affected by diabetes; over their lifetime, at least 25% will develop foot ulcers that often result in high rates of nonhealing wounds and amputation. The authors present the case of a 43-year-old female patient with multiple comorbidities who presented with a large (8 cm x 4 cm), noninfected, hindfoot plantar ulcer that extended down to the bone and calcaneus. Over 2 weeks, the patient was successfully treated using a combination of an acellular dermal matrix, nanofat grafting, and negative pressure wound therapy, lessening the effects of the ulcer on the patient’s quality of life and achieving limb salvage … read more

Introduction. Viable placental membrane (vPM) has been shown to decrease time to healing, adverse wound events, and wound-related infections. Wound research exclusion criteria commonly exclude wound types other than diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers (VLUs), comorbidities including peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM), and wounds with exposed bone or tendon. Objective. This retrospective research study evaluated the clinical use and outcomes of the vPM with living mesenchymal stem cells used in chronic wound management in the community hospital outpatient department setting with the goal of comparing real-world use and outcomes of the product with use and outcomes described in the chronic wound literature … read more

Since as early as ancient (1850 BCE) Egypt, silver has been used in wound care owing to its antimicrobial properties. Although its popularity dwindled in 1928 with the discovery of penicillin, medicinal silver has recaptured wound care professionals’ attention with the rise of antimicrobial-resistant microbes. In modern dressings, the incorporation of silver nanoparticles decreases the risk of infection while allowing the dressing to continue the facilitation of a moist wound bed environment. In nanoparticle form, silver deconstructs the cell membrane of microbes, passes into their cell body, and causes internal damage … Register

Chronic edema affects millions of people in the United States and worldwide. Edema can result from a variety of diseases, trauma, medications, and other contributing factors; however, all edema is related to lymphatic fluid dysregulation. Additionally, lymphatic impairment and integumentary dysfunction are interrelated, leading to complex clinical presentations that require an integrated medical model of care to maximize outcomes. PURPOSE: This narrative review article will highlight the current evidence that details lymphatic physiology, fluid regulation by the endothelial glycocalyx layer, and the interconnectedness of the vascular and integumentary systems leading to a paradigm shift in our understanding of edema, lymphedema, and chronic wounds. Traditional pedagogy remains siloed with respect to the body systems, whereas current evidence indicates a certain interdependence, particularly between and among the venous, lymphatic, and integumentary systems … read more

Ever since the US Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) multicenter trial was completed nearly two decades ago (1), we have known that it is possible to prevent, or at least delay, prediabetes (an insulin–resistant state) from progressing into full-blown type 2 diabetes. Why? Diabetes risk was reduced by 58% in the “intensive lifestyle“ (ILS) participant group and by 31% in the metformin (an oral glucose-lowering medication) participants compared to no intervention (“placebo“ group). For 60 years or older participants, lifestyle changes worked much better to prevent diabetes than taking metformin … read more

Neonates are widely known as a vulnerable patient population—especially critically ill and premature infants. This vulnerability has limited clinicians’ knowledge of moisture management products in the neonatal population that prevent pressure injuries. Recently, a survey of neonatal nurses from across the United States was conducted to find out what is being used for moisture management … This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey with a convenience sample of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses. A survey link was distributed electronically through websites, listservs, discussion boards, and newsletters to the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), the Academy of Neonatal Nurses (AAN), and WoundSource. There were 252 NICU nurses who completed the survey … read more

A major global health issue is the existence of chronic wounds. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment is essential to promote wound healing and prevent further complications. Traditional methods for treatment and diagnosis of chronic wounds have shown to be of limited effectiveness. Therefore, there is a need for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic innovations in chronic wound care.

Objective: This mini-review aims to provide insight in the current knowledge of the wound healing process and the deficiencies encountered in chronic wounds, which provides a basis for the development of innovations in chronic wound care. Furthermore, promising diagnostic and therapeutic innovations will be highlighted … read more

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in changes to caseload management, access to training and education, and other additional pressures, a survey was developed to understand current awareness and implementation of the wound hygiene concept into practice one year on from its dissemination. Barriers to implementation and outcomes were also surveyed … read more

at Siriraj Hospital – Thailand’s Largest National Tertiary Referral Center
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). DR is characterized by gradually progressive alterations in the retinal microvasculature, leading to areas of retinal non-perfusion, increased vascular permeability, and pathologic intraocular proliferation of retinal vessels. The complications are associated with macular edema, and uncontrolled neovascularization, termed proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), resulting in severe and permanent vision loss if not treated in a timely and appropriate manner. DR is the leading cause of blindness among working-aged adults worldwide. However, with appropriate medical and ophthalmologic care, more than 90% of vision loss from PDR can be prevented.1 Unfortunately, in many cases, presenting symptoms may go unnoticed or unheeded and the damage caused by the disease becomes irreparable … By 2045, it is estimated that approximately 700 million people worldwide will have diabetes2 and that approximately 103 millions of those will have DR … read more

Theories of Aging

One theory of aging is the free radical theory and mitochondrial DNA damage. Mitochondria are organelles within cells that are responsible for respiration, which promotes energy production using oxygen and simple sugars to produce adenosine triphosphate, the article explains. The DNA is located in a place with little protection and cannot repair itself which can lead to aging skin. The free radicals are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons that initiate a damaging chain reaction resulting in DNA crosslinking that leads to aging and may contribute to cancer genesis, the article continues … read more

With our horizons limited by Covid-related travel restrictions, it is more important than ever to experience and learn about our multicultural world through reading about wound-related research and practice in other jurisdictions and countries. Two such articles provide this important international insight and are included in this issue of the journal. The first by Obilor and colleagues describes the assessment of nurses’ knowledge, attitude and competence in wound assessment in a tertiary healthcare facility in southwest Nigeria. Here they found that many of the nurses surveyed were lacking in wound assessment competence, suggesting an important continuing need for education and skills development. The second internationally focused paper, by Yigit and Tas, describes the demography and injuries related to chemical burns in the southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The burn centre at the core of this study serves 10 million people in Diyarbakir and the surrounding 300km and is the only centre with an intensive care unit in southeast Turkey, a very different experience from what we would see in an Australian context … read more

Malignant melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer, and prompt diagnosis is a key factor in providing adequate, life-saving therapy. A 75-year-old man, with long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus, presented with a 2- to 3-year history of right heel ulcer. He had received various therapies for a diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcer, to no avail. Physical examination showed a black, fungating ulcerated lesion on his right heel, with minimal bleeding. No inguinal lymphadenopathy was palpated. A biopsy was done, which revealed BRAF-negative malignant melanoma, with a vertical growth phase, Breslow 3.1 mm, ulceration, 11 mitoses/mm2, Clark level IV, no lymphatic or vascular invasion observed. Right inguinal lymph node sampling suggested no involvement, but PET-CT suggested pulmonary, right inguinal lymph node and bone involvement. The patient was referred to the oncologists. Written informed consent for publication was given by the patient. Diabetic foot ulcers are a frequently encountered, but serious complication of diabetes mellitus. Delayed healing is often seen, despite adequate therapy. The differential diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcers is vast and includes neoplasia. When a foot ulcer fails to heal, other differential diagnoses must be considered, in order for the patient to receive adequate therapy. Here specialist consultations, including dermatology consultations, could improve chances of delivering the right therapy promptly. This is a factor underlying the emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach to foot ulcer therapy. Our presentation – reported according to the CARE guidelines – also illustrates the fact that failure to reach a timely diagnosis may deny the patient the opportunity to receive adequate treatment … read more

The Country wide health initiative “Fast Track Pathway” was launched at a simple but dignified ceremony held at a local Hotel in Lahore on Dec 20, 2021 … An MOU signing ceremony was held between BIDE and Ferozsons Laboratories Limited for the implementation of this project … Addressing the ceremony, the Project Director, Dr ZahidMiyan, from Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology, told that; Foot involvement is one of the major and devastating complications of diabetes. It is estimated that approximately 3,000,000 people with diabetes in Pakistan have foot ulcers while approximately 300,000 people loose their limbs to diabetes, every year, he told further … The huge burden of diabetic foot and the high frequency of avoidable amputations strongly necessitate consolidated and unified efforts. Dr Zahid highly appreciated the leading role of Prof Abdul Basit, the Director of BIDE, who always emphasized on nationwide improvement in diabetic foot care. In that context the “Fast Track pathway” has been launched in Pakistan, Dr Zahid declared … read more

to award hundreds of Wound Care Scholarships
Healiant Training Solutions™ and IAWCSF® partner to make 100+ scholarships available to clinicians who desire to become wound care trained and certified.

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES, December 21, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — Healiant Training Solutions™ and the International Alliance of Wound Care Scholarship Foundation® (IAWCSF®) come together to make scholarships available to passionate clinicians who desire to become wound care trained and certified. Healiant Training Solutions™ will match up to 100 scholarships that will be donated by sponsors from the wound care product community to be awarded to deserving healthcare providers … read more

Individuals with diabetes have around a 34% chance of developing a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). This debilitating condition may lead to severe complications, including hospitalization, infection, and amputation. A recent study reported grim data on DFU, finding a five-year survival rate of just 29%. Any delay in treatment has been associated with worsened clinical outcomes. The researchers of this study were interested in identifying risk factors for DFU in patients with T2D. Early detection might one day reduce the number of diabetic foot ulcers … read more

Using the Scottish Care Information – Diabetes database, Graham Leese (Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK) and co-authors observed that out of 23,395 individuals with type 1 diabetes and 210,064 with type 2 diabetes included in the study, a total of 13,093 had a previous foot ulceration and among these, 34.3% developed a further foot ulcer during the follow‑up period (2012–2017). In addition, a total of 9023 people developed a first ulcer during follow-up… read more

neuropathic toe ulcer recurrence

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of flexor tenotomy in patients with diabetes on barefoot plantar pressure, toe joint angles and ulcer recurrence during patient follow-up.

METHODS: Patients with a history of ulceration on the toe apex were included. They underwent minimally-invasive needle flexor tenotomy by an experienced musculoskeletal surgeon. Dynamic barefoot plantar pressure measurements and static weight-bearing radiographs were taken before and 2-4 weeks after the procedure … read more

Since care for diabetic foot ulcers is delivered by a wide range of healthcare professionals, from nurses working in primary care to specialized diabetes foot clinics, collecting population-based data on diabetic foot ulceration is notoriously difficult. Furthermore, epidemiological data on populations with diabetic foot ulceration collected from selected subpopulations is open to bias, hence the importance of unselected population-based data … To address this issue, my colleagues and I conducted a national, population-based, cohort study of people with diabetes, with the aim of describing the incidence of foot ulceration and amputation-free survival associated with foot ulceration status … read more

of a New Antimicrobial Peptide Dermaseptin-AC

Antimicrobial resistance has been an increasing public health threat in recent years. Antimicrobial peptides are considered as potential drugs against drug-resistant bacteria because they are mainly broad-spectrum and are unlikely to cause resistance. In this study, a novel peptide was obtained from the skin secretion of Agalychnis callidryas using the “shotgun” cloning method. The amino acid sequence, molecular weight, and secondary structure of Dermaseptin-AC were determined … The skin safety of Dermaseptin-AC was evaluated on wounds on the back skin of a rat … it was applied to skin wounds. Chronic wounds are often accompanied by high bacterial burdens and, at the same time, antimicrobial resistance is more likely to occur during repeated infections and treatments. Therefore, developing Dermaseptin-AC to treat chronic wound infection may be an … read more

Like all nurses who specialize in wound care, I have seen many changes in our profession over the years. Perhaps most significant are the influences that breakthrough technologies and products have had on our profession … In order to fully appreciate its scope, we must recall recent history. Not so long ago, a non-healing diabetic foot ulcer often resulted in complications and possible amputation. In addition, to follow the healing process of a wound, the measurements had to be taken manually with rulers, a subjective measurement process that is prone to variation between institutions and even individuals … read more

KEELE, England, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Biocomposites, an international medical devices company that engineers, manufactures and markets world leading products for use in infection management in bone and soft tissue, is pleased to provide the following business update … Enhanced approval for STIMULAN in Canada and Saudi Arabia … In 2021, STIMULAN® products gained a new approval in Canada for mixing with antibiotics: vancomycin, gentamicin and tobramycin, for use in treating bacterial infection in soft tissue surrounding bone. This was followed by a new approval in Saudi Arabia for STIMULAN® to be mixed with antibiotics for use in bone and soft tissue … STIMULAN® is the only calcium matrix antibiotic carrier with an EU approval for use in bone and soft tissue and offers surgeons the flexibility to apply broad spectrum ‘off-the-shelf’ antibiotics at concentrations that will support their patient-specific treatment plans – dramatically improving patient outcomes and redefining standard of care … read more

The measurement of oxygen levels in the blood commonly referred to as blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) is a critical medical diagnostic. The condition of below normal levels (<95%) is termed hypoxemia and is associated with patients who have asthma, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease … SpO2 levels are also of interest for brain and other surgical procedures (i.e. flap surgery), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), tumor development, the healing of wounds from conditions such as diabetic foot ulcer, systemic rheumatic disease, neuropathy and sepsis2–5. Pulse oximeters, a simple optical device that measures the ratios of two critical band-passes of light through an appendage … read more

Diabetes-related wounds, particularly diabetes-related foot ulceration, is mainly caused by lack of foot sensation and high plantar tissue stress secondary to peripheral neuropathy, ischemia secondary to peripheral artery disease and dysfunctional wound healing. Current management of diabetes-related wounds involves the offloading high foot pressures and the treatment of ischemia through revascularisation. Despite these treatments, the global burden of diabetes-related wounds is growing, and thus novel therapies are needed. The normal wound healing process is a coordinated remodelling process orchestrated by fibroblasts, endothelial cells, phagocytes and platelets, controlled by an array of growth factors. In diabetes-related wounds this coordinated process is dysfunctional. Past animal model and human research suggests that prolonged wound inflammation, failure to adequately correct ischemia and impaired wound maturation are key therapeutic targets to improve diabetes-related wound healing … read more

Restore Diabetic Wounds Through Accelerated Fibroblast Proliferation and Migration
Inhibition of cellular adaptation to hypoxia can cause persistent inflammation, thereby increasing tissue damage and complicating wound healing in diabetes patients. Regulating cellular adaptation to hypoxic environments can help in effective wound repair. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α is a key regulator of cell hypoxia. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) regulate wound repair. This study investigated the mechanism of HIF-1α overexpression in adipose-derived stem cell extracellular vesicles (ADSCs-hEVs) in the repair of diabetic wounds … read more

Swelling or edema is common. It can result from certain diseases, infections, conditions, trauma, or injury, and even medication.1 Typically, the swelling goes away on its own. Sometimes, however, the swelling continues and can worsen over time … This article serves as a guide to help patients and caregivers understand what swelling is and when medical help is necessary. We will educate patients and their caregivers about lymphedema including common risks and contributing factors. This article will also provide general treatment recommendations for lymphedema and provide general and disease-specific resources for individuals affected by lymphedema … read more

The Fall is a busy time in the policy world, as government agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalize policies for the fiscal year ahead such as the CY 2022 Physician Fee Schedule and more. Get up to speed on the latest payment and coverage policies that can impact wound care with this update from the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders … Real world evidence: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is opening up the door to more real-world evidence (RWE) in 2022 and beyond with two new draft guidance documents issued: Real-World Data: Assessing Electronic Health Records and Medical Claims Data To Support … read more

Suzanne Moloney, the founder of HidraWear, first experienced the painful symptoms of Hidradenitis suppurativa as a young teen … At the time was a Suzanne a typical teenager who loved sports and running. She kept quiet about what was happening – she was embarrassed, as any 13-year-old would be. By her mid-teens, the lumps were bigger and harder to manage. Suzanne finally mustered up the courage to speak to a GP when they became infected … Suzanne was prescribed antibiotics every time new lumps flared up, which helped but didn’t stop the painful growths coming back. This cycle continued for years as more lumps appeared under her arms and at the tops of her legs … read more

Novel Food Supplement to Support Tissue Regeneration

GRÄFELFING, Germany–(BUSINESS WIRE)– suppliDerm, a new brand by sanaFactur, represents a science based range of food supplements supporting tissue regeneration the immune system, and energy metabolism. All of these are critical for wound patients. ‘Our team of pharmacists, biochemists and nutritional specialists have combined carefully selected micro- and macro nutrients to support the body’s regenerative processes. Many older people and wound patients are suffering from nutritional deficiencies, also impacting their wound healing.’ says Dr. Alexander Maassen, CEO Scientific. A patent has been filed.

sanaFactur is an established brand in Wound Care, currently focusing on antimicrobial products. ‘suppliDerm will perfectly complement our existing portfolio, enabling patients to actively support wound therapy by supporting their regenerative metabolism. We do look forward to launch our food supplement with several flavors internationally, like the US and UK as leading markets for wound care.’ says Olaf Ohm CEO Commercial … read more

with a Remote Patient-Facing Wound Care Smartphone Application
BACKGROUND Wounds affect millions of people world-wide, with care being costly and difficult to deliver remotely. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need for telehealth solutions to play a larger role as part of remote care strategies for patient monitoring and care. We describe our findings on the use of a patient-facing wound care app (Swift Patient Connect App, Swift Medical, Canada) as an innovative solution in remote wound assessment and management of a diabetic patient’s wound. CASE REPORT In February 2020, a 57-year-old man with type I diabetes and peripheral arterial disease presented with osteomyelitis in the left foot at the fifth metatarsal, arising from a chronic ulcer … read more

a German Aerospace Center study centers on bioprinting—using viable cells and biological molecules to print tissue structures. The German Aerospace Center study Bioprint FirstAid demonstrates a portable, handheld bioprinter that uses a patient’s own skin cells to create a tissue-forming patch to cover a wound and accelerate the healing process. On future missions to the Moon and Mars, bioprinting such customized patches could help address changes in wound healing that can occur in space and complicate treatment. Personalized healing patches also have potential benefits on Earth, providing safer and more flexible treatment anywhere needed … read more

Related:
The 3D bioprinting process in the Bioprint FirstAid Handheld Bioprinter

In a phase II study, EscharEx demonstrated safe and effective debridement of diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers.
A phase II pharmacology study has found positive initial data of EscharEx, a bioactive therapy for rapid debridement in chronic and hard-to-heal wounds, Israeli biopharmaceutical company MediWound announced on Monday … The US-based study, which is ongoing, examined the treatment of seven patients with either diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) or venous leg ulcers (VLUs) … read more

Wounds are described as damage to living tissue that disrupts its normal anatomical structure and function. They develop as a result of tissue damage caused by physical, chemical, thermal, microbiological, or immunological factors … The damage can compromise the skin’s epithelial surface and spread into the surrounding tissues, disturbing other systems such as ligaments, muscles, and nerves … Chronic wounds develop when wounds fail to heal properly and claim the lives of countless people around the world … read more

and Foot Ulcers in Asian Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is an efficient tool for objectively documenting the presence of lower-extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The predictive factors of cardiovascular events and diabetic foot ulcer were not clear from the ABI examination in Taiwanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

METHODS: We enrolled 482 patients with type 2 DM who regularly visited the outpatient department of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and received ABI as well as brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity … read more

Therapy Facilitates Ulcer Wound Healing of Superficial Malignant Tumors
Malignant tumors (cancer cells) are metastatic and invasive, and cancer cells can spread throughout the body through hematogenous, lymphatic and implantation metastases. Clinically, the most common tumor metastasis sites are lung, liver, brain, bone, etc. Some patients will have metastasis on the body surface, while in some cases, the tumor directly spreads or invades the body surface.1 The appearance of superficial malignant tumor usually indicates that the tumor is in the middle and late stage. However, many patients seek medical treatment only after the superficial tumor has grown, ruptured, and become infected. The ulceration of superficial malignant tumors can lead to wound bleeding, exudation, pain, infection, and scar hyperplasia, which makes the wound unhealed for a long time, greatly reducing the quality of life of patients.2 At present, surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the mainstays of treatment for superficial malignant tumors.3 Clinically, such patients are required to maintain local dryness of the wound, but frequent dressing changes and large surgical wound make it difficult to keep the wound dry; Moreover, chemotherapy is easy to cause a large amount of exudate in the wound to be in a moist state, coupled with the skin damage aggravation resulted from radiotherapy, leading to the susceptible to wound bleeding and infection and consequently delayed wound healing … read more

CASE

• 22-year-old male with paraplegia following a fall from a balcony presented with large presacral and buttock pressure injuries that continued to increase in size since last visit >3 months prior. Click here for photo.
• Although the ulcers were large with areas of increased depth, there were minimal clinical signs of bioburden.
• A fluorescence scan revealed red fluorescence indicative of significant bioburden that could not be removed with cleansing or debridement.
• A point-of-care fluorescence scan (MolecuLight i:X) revealed a pattern of scattered red fluorescence (white arrows) indicating elevated bacterial burden (>104 CFU/g) extending beyond … read more

Chronic wounds affect an estimated 2.21 per 1000 population. They are a significant source of morbidity and affect individuals physically, psychologically, socially and financially. Person-centered care is one approach to improve patient outcomes in wound care as it values patients’ perspectives, beliefs and autonomy and considers the person as a whole within the cultural context in which care is provided … read more

This document builds on the Best Practice Statement: Holistic Management of Venous Leg Ulcers to address complexities in the management of venous leg ulcers.

The aim of this document is to help ensure consistent clinical practices in relation to the assessment and management of people with VLUs who are outside the scope of the leg ulcer treatment pathway developed by Atkin and Tickle (2016). It will provide guidance based on relevant evidence and the experiences and opinions of clinicians, with a focus on practical, holistic and patient-centred strategies … read more

Anne S. Meyer, an associate professor of biology at the University of Rochester, and her collaborators at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands recently developed a 3D printing technique to engineer and study biofilms—three-dimensional communities of microorganisms, such as bacteria, that adhere to surfaces. The research provides important information for creating synthetic materials and in developing drugs to fight the negative effects of biofilms … read more

The rise in the occurrence of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cancer throughout the world is driving expansion of the global anti-biofilm wound dressing market. Non-communicable illnesses are becoming more prevalent due to various factors such as smoking, alcohol usage, antibiotic resistance, and unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles.

Healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, have been overburdened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic … read more

At the 2021 SAWC Fall, this reimbursement consultant/educator/author was honored to provide a main session reimbursement presentation, as well as a 3-hour interactive reimbursement post-conference workshop. The attendees at both venues were very attentive and asked many excellent questions. On the plane ride home, this author reflected on the questions that were asked at both sessions and came to the conclusion that many wound/ulcer management professionals either 1) have not implemented a process for monitoring and reviewing pertinent payers’ coverage policies or 2) have not incorporated these important “playbook guidelines” into their wound/ulcer management assessments, care plans, coding selections (diagnosis, evaluation & management, procedure, and product), and documentation … read more

Human knowledge is growing exponentially. This explosion is clearly evident in the field of Medicine. We hear almost daily about advances in cardiovascular and oncologic treatments. Medicine appears to be on the verge of extending human life well beyond 100 years. Fortunately, Wound Care physicians and their patients are also reaping the benefits of this rapid knowledge advancement. In the last decade, key elements in the body’s cellular healing processes have been elucidated. A major thrust has been in the development of human tissue therapies … read more

Acral lentiginous melanoma only accounts for only two to 10 percent of all reported melanoma types.1 Although the term “lentiginous” often refers to the typical dark coloration of the pathology, the dark coloration is not always a clinical finding, as multiple studies report amelanotic lesions, as well.2,3,4 Therefore, it is pertinent for every practitioner to give due diligence to any suspicious lesion and to know the key findings that may help differentiate a serious lesion from one that is more benign … read more

Soft K-Biopsy® – SFT-1000

SoftBiopsy® is a sterile single-use brush-curette is designed to be both minimally invasive and clinically effective for tissue sampling. The plastic applicator tip is coated with Kylon®, a patented medical fabric which dislodges and collects wound base tissue post-debridement, efficiently and effectively.

The SoftBiopsy® is designed with a trumpet shaped brush tip to easily press into the wound base surface and remove and trap a biopsy sample for anatomic pathology as curettings (tangential biopsy sample). When used post-debridement, it is optimal for molecular (PCR) or microbiological culture.

Organism ID Sampling Method

Once the biopsy is obtained, tissue samples for analysis are easily collected in the KYLON® hook tapered tip head and snapped off and placed into the vial to preserve tissue for organism (culture, PCR) or anatomic pathology lab analysis.

Request that your pathology lab that performs wound related tests contact us to become a Kylon® device “Center of Excellence”.

Brochure

Benefits:

• Fabric pad on tapered applicator tip is designed for visible surface wounds that are visible on the body surface
• Versatile use, Ergonomic, and minimally invasive design facilitates user tactile control for targeting and guiding the brushing, sweeping and rotational movements – modulating tactile pressure and method allows for tissue. removal and trapping using a pressure-twisting motion of the wound surface
• Kylon® medical fabric hooks gently, yet substantially obtain abundant tissue samples that are trapped in the hook array, snapped free from the handle, and transported for laboratory analysis
• Designed for compassionate patient experience and compliance

Clinical Scenarios: (Refer to Instructions for Use)

The SoftBiopsy® is indicated for tangential biopsy of wounds on visual surfaces in order to obtain a sterile biopsy sample. Once the tissue filled tip is detached and placed in a vial, it is transported for histological analyses and further laboratory evaluation regarding infection or other pathology

Contraindications: 

SoftBiopsy® is contraindicated for use with patients with known bleeding disorders or those on anticoagulant therapy, patients with an acute wound infection or condition that is not amenable to biopsy, patients with a known allergy to nylon or acrylic plastic, or patients who are pregnant or suspected to be pregnant when a wound biopsy would not be indicated

Warnings and Precautions: 

Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician or other licensed practitioner.

Storage Requirements: 

Consult manufacturer on special storage requirements outside of normal room temperatures.

How Supplied/Sizing: 

Box of 25 minimum order

Recommended Use: 

• Burns
• Chronic Wounds
• Diabetic Foot
• Graft Bed Preparation
• Non/Minimally Exudating Wounds
• Palliative Wounds
• Pressure Ulcers
• Non-Eschar/Solid/Fibrotic Wounds
• Sloughy Wounds
• Surgical Wounds
• Venous Ulcers

Mode of Use/Application:

See manufacturer’s website for detailed instructions for use (IFU)

Clinically Tested: 

Latex-friendly

Product features: 

• Single Use
• Disposable
• Instrument
• Sterile

Other features: 

• Educational Material Available
• Free Samples/Trials Available
• Published Clinical Study Available

Manufacturer: Histologics LLC – www.histologicswc.com

Histologics LLC’s primary objective is to advance a compassionate approach to debridement and wound biopsy sampling with devices using Kylon®, a medical fabric enabling biopsy with tissue capture, or frictional tissue cleaning, and debridement.

Website: 

www.histologicswc.com

Email: 

support@histologicswc.com

Phone: 

(888) 235-2275

Toll-free: 

(888) 235-2275

Fax: 

(888) 738-9757

In the summer of 2020, an 82-year-old male presented to the emergency department to evaluate right foot pain and swelling over the past week. He saw his primary care physician earlier in the morning, who referred him for more emergent evaluation. He states he fell at home one week ago, injuring his right foot. This initially resulted in minimal pain, but over one week, the pain and swelling continued to worsen. He notes that he had no open wounds or active bleeding at the time of the initial injury. However, over that week, in addition to the escalating pain and swelling, he developed a bleeding ulcer on the dorsal aspect of the right foot. He could stand and ambulate … read more

 
The WHS Communications Committee is pleased to launch the WRR Fireside Chat video series to feature groundbreaking research in Wound Repair and Regeneration (WRR).

Each video Drs. Mitch Sanders, PhD and Kyle Quinn, PhD will feature a recent article in WRR.

Impact of repeated remote ischemic conditioning on diabetic foot ulcers: A proof-of-concept study
Author: Matthew Regulski, DPM

 View Article

In all fields of medicine, technology is changing and improving how we treat our patients. Wound care is no exception. From improved charting with electronic medical records to new treatment options to expanding access with the use of telemedicine, in wound care offices, technology plays an increasing role in our day to day interactions with patients.

The majority of physicians use an electronic medical record (EMR) for documentation, and in wound care, the way we use EMR’s to document is changing. New imaging technologies improve the accuracy of documentation and facilitate the process. For example, many wound centers still measure wounds with a ruler to document the length x width x depth and describe the type of tissue present in the wound. This opens up the possibility of user error, which may ultimately affect the way the wound is treated and the healing outcome overall. With newer imaging systems like the one from Tissue Analytics, the provider can picture, measure, and analyze the wound in one step, allowing for faster and more accurate documentation … read more

The podiatric surgeon frequently utilizes partial ray amputations aiming to remove infection while preserving bipedal ambulatory status and preventing further morbidity or mortality. An estimated 50 to 70 percent of lower extremity amputations take place due to diabetic complications, most commonly diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) formed in the setting of peripheral neuropathy. Patients with diabetes often face additional comorbidities, including peripheral vascular disease and a diminished immune response, both of which increase the risk for ulcer development and complicate healing potential. Although amputation is an effective method of eradicating osseous infection, removing pedal anatomy will alter normal biomechanics and increase pressure distribution to surrounding structures. Furthermore, amputation of pedal structures involved in the gait cycle will require increased metabolic expenditure during ambulation. One hypothesis … read more

Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is an effective way to promote wound healing. However, its mechanisms have not been investigated thoroughly. Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress and Raftlin levels play important roles in wound healing. However, whether NPWT promotes wound healing through this mechanism remains unclear.
Purpose: Our study focuses on the different levels of oxidative stress and antioxidant response between wounds treated by NPWT and routine dressing change. The objective of this study was to measure the differences in Raftlin levels between the two groups, which is a new biomarker related to wound healing … read more

This module aims to make clinicians aware of:

• The importance of skin health and what makes it vulnerable to damage.
• The damage that can occur when using medical adhesives and improper removal techniques.
• The impact that MARSIs (medical adhesive-related skin injuries) can have on patients.
• Ways to reduce the risk of MARSIs by providing appropriate treatment for at-risk patients groups.

… read more

Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Nurses Developed by Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada (NSWOCC)
Debridement is described in the literature as having a high level of clinical risk and may result in patient harm when performed by untrained nurses. As a result, specialized knowledge, skills, and competencies are required to initiate, direct, and perform safe and effective debridement. This executive summary provides an overview of Debridement: Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Nurses from the Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada (NSWOCC). The primary objective of these recommendations is to positively influence patient outcomes and enhance safety. The 12 recommendations place the safety of the patient and nurse at the forefront and highlight the educational, competency, certification, preceptor/mentorship, and legal requirements for nurses to initiate, direct, and perform all methods of debridement. We designed these recommendations to be circulated and implemented widely by … read more

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputations in the lower extremity.1 Around 15 percent of all patients with diabetes will develop a lower extremity ulceration, with these patients being 17 to 40 times more likely to require an amputation.1 Unfortunately for most, the decision to amputate is not always clear cut and the determination of where to make a definitive amputation is not always as it seems on plain films or advanced imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). There are several factors to consider when performing limb salvage procedures for these patients with diabetes … read more

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and APMA’s Communications Committee is launching a new public education campaign designed to reach one of our most at-risk patient populations: Hispanic males. The campaign, “Es Hora,” offers a wealth of educational materials for you to use in your practice.

This content is available to APMA members only. If you are a member, please log in to see the full content … read more

Take the first few steps to coding and billing by joining us for a comprehensive workshop covering the fundamentals of coding and billing for foot and ankle surgeons. Learn the foundation of the coding and billing process from expert colleagues before taking the ACFAS Coding and Billing for the Foot and Ankle Surgeon course. This course is for residents, fellows, new practitioners, office staff of foot and ankle surgeons or anyone who wants to learn more of the basic coding and billing terminology and process. Plus, if you’re a resident and attending Residents Day in the morning the day of the event, this course is a great next step to learning more about coding and billing for your future practice and can be bundled in your pricing … read more

Author: Bill Richlen PT, WCC, DWC

My 25 years in the wound care field has been an incredible journey. Over the years I have been witness to better understanding of wound healing, better research and improved products and technology that has changed the way wounds are managed. At the same time, I regularly hear my students and colleagues share some of the practices being implemented today, along with many myths still being perpetuated, and it makes me wonder “what happened to the basics?”. I once learned from a colleague and now include it my teaching that there are 2 fundamentals to heal all wounds: 1) healthy patient; and 2) healthy wound. As long as those fundamentals are achieved, a wound is likely going to heal despite what you do it … read more

There is an ever-growing variety of products and devices available to practitioners to improve healing rates and patient outcomes, but practitioners should be able to critically appraise evidence to make appropriate evidence-based changes to practice. This position document reviews the available evidence in wound care, looking especially at the critical appraisal of level 1 evidence, before considering the steps required to translate evidence to practice … read more

Chronic wounds are deep and difficult to repair. Often, the top of the injury heals before the bottom, so the wound collapses in on itself. Over time, this can result in scar tissue and reduced skin function … The technique is the first of its kind to simulate three layers of skin: the hypodermis, or fatty layer, the dermis, and the epidermis … “You effectively have three different cell types. They all grow at different speeds,” said author Alan Smith. “If you try to produce tri-layered structures … read more

Save MolecuLight i:X fluorescence wound images and measurements in Epic
Toronto, CANADA – (August 12, 2020) MolecuLight Inc., the leader in point-of-care fluorescence imaging for real-time detection of bacteria in wounds, announces the availability of its MolecuLight i:X® platform on the Epic App Orchard Marketplace and the integration of its platform with Epic’s leading EMR (electronic medical record) platform.

Users who use Epic for the treatment of wounds can upload standard and fluorescence images, and measurements captured with the MolecuLight i:X device at the point-of-care to the patient’s record. The integrated platforms allow clinicians to optimize their workflow and document their patients’ wounds digitally. The MolecuLight i:X application – iX Imaging – is available on the App Orchard.

“We are proud to announce the inclusion of our MolecuLight i:X platform in the Epic App Orchard Marketplace to allow customers to generate and access documentation of patients’ wounds”, says Anil Amlani, MolecuLight’s CEO. “The MolecuLight i:X is the only point-of-care device enabling clinicians to capture wound images showing clinically significant bacteria, information that improves clinical decision making to ensure the fastest path to healing. The integration of this additional information into existing documentation protocols will provide clinicians with a more complete wound dataset.” … read more

The NHS’s defence organisation, NHS Resolution, are reviewing past medical negligence claims against the NHS by patients with diabetes who suffered lower limb complications. Most of these cases relate to patients with non-healing foot ulcers, who then needed major lower limb amputations. The aim of the review is to identify and report on the themes which are common in these cases to help the NHS learn from its mistakes. NHS Resolution hope that by raising awareness of the risks and need for consistent, correct treatment of diabetes-related lower limb problems, both the number of amputations and the cost to the NHS can be reduced. The key message of the review will be that lower limb amputations are often preventable, but this requires NHS organisations to work together to improve care for these patients. The review will be published within the next few months … read more

AIMS: Deep surgical site infection (SSI) is common after lower limb fracture. We compared the diagnosis of deep SSI using alternative methods of data collection and examined the agreement of clinical photography and in-person clinical assessment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria after lower limb fracture surgery … read more

Researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences report replicating a crucial component of our blood may aid wound healing … The findings are published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials in a paper titled, “3D Printed Scaffolds Incorporated with Platelet-Rich Plasma Show Enhanced Angiogenic Potential while not Inducing Fibrosis,” and led by researchers at the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) and SFI AMBER Centre based at RCSI’s department of anatomy and regenerative medicine … read more

Staffing was a challenge in skilled nursing care prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and like all segments of health care, the problem has only worsened for SNFs since March 2020. But new figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics are nevertheless a shock to the system … Since the start of the pandemic, the industry lost a startling 221,000 jobs — or 14% of its workforce — from March 2020 to October 2021. This is a significantly greater loss than any other health care segment, well ahead of the 8.2% drop in assisted living staff … read more

Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ZZ Biotech, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing the experimental drug 3K3A-APC for some of the biggest unmet needs in stroke, neurodegenerative disease and chronic wound healing, today announced that the first patients have been dosed in a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating 3K3A-APC for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The study is being conducted at Macquarie University, in Sydney, Australia, and seeks to investigate whether 3K3A-APC is safe and potentially effective in patients with ALS. The Firies Climb for Motor Neurone Disease provided an AU$1 million donation to support this clinical trial … The Phase 2 open label trial (NCT05039268) will enroll a total of 16 patients with ALS into two dose cohorts. The primary study outcomes are to ensure the safety and tolerability of 3K3A-APC in ALS patients and to determine whether 3K3A-APC is able to reduce the pathological changes that are thought to cause ALS. The study will evaluate biomarkers of microglial and monocyte activation and should provide evidence as to whether microglial activation is a major pathogenic contributor to ALS … read more

SINGAPORE – Researchers in Singapore have developed a smart bandage to enable patients to have chronic wounds monitored remotely via an app on a mobile device, potentially saving them visits to the doctor … A research team at the National University of Singapore has created a wearable sensor attached to a transparent bandage to track progress in healing, using information like temperature, bacteria type, and levels of pH and inflammation … “Traditionally when someone has a wound or ulcer, if it’s infected, the only way to examine it is through looking at the wound itself, through visual inspection … read more

A trifling paper cut is a site of frenzied activity. Within it, a squad of epidermal stem cells briskly regenerate to patch up the wound. A closer inspection of this war-torn swath of epidermis will reveal that while some of the stem cells are native to the area, others are newcomers—former hair-producing stem cells, that—upon sensing nearby injury—migrated from the hair follicle to the wound bed, where they transformed to resemble indigenous epidermal stem cells … read more

A novel, antibiotic-free strategy for fighting antimicrobial-resistant bacteria using cold plasma ionized gas to activate key molecules has shown early efficacy in eradicating bacteria commonly found in chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. The gas also killed the SARS-CoV-2 virus on surfaces … read more

BACKGROUND Wounds and their management are important in the practice of surgery. Super oxidised solution is a recent concept in wound management. It is an aqueous solution which is electrochemically processed which is non-toxic, non-irrigating and is having a neutral pH. Povidone iodine is the most common topical wound care product used in surgical practice. Both are affordable solutions for the patients. There are very few studies comparing the efficacy. In this study, we wanted to compare the efficacy of super oxidised solution and povidone iodine in the management of lower limb ulcers. METHODS A prospective study was conducted on 100 patients who were randomized into two groups. Group A was treated with super oxidized solution and Group B were treated with povidone iodine. Assessments of wounds were done on various days (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21). Various outcomes of data were analysed using statistical analysis. RESULTS The average percentage reduction in wound size on day 21 was 47 % in Group A compared to 24 % in Group B. Early appearance of granulation tissue, disinfection, decrease in wound size, and less duration of hospital stay was achieved in Group A. CONCLUSIONS The results were more favourable towards super oxidised solution than povidone iodine. In this comparative study, super oxidized solution had faster efficacy and wound healing … read more

Erythema: A result of injury or irritation that causes dilation of blood capillaries and manifests as patchy reddening of the skin. Occurs after a patient/resident is exposed to unrelieved pressure for 2 hours. It can be identified as a deep, localized redness; can also be blue or purple.

Hyperemia: The condition of having excess blood in vessels that supply an organ or area of the body. Occurs after patient/resident is exposed to 30 minutes of unrelieved pressure. It can be identified as a localized, non-blanchable redness.

Perfusion: The passage of blood through arteries and capillaries into tissues or organs. When insufficient, there is an increased chance that the patient may have complications.

… more

Beyond being a great source for news, Wound Care Weekly is also an effective search engine for wound care related content. Google searching will reflect results targeted toward the general public where our search results will be derived from thousands of articles written almost exclusively for medical professionals.

Use italics for more focused search results “foot ulcer”

It is a staple of science fiction to mock sutures as outdated. The technique has, after all, been in use for at least 5,000 years. Surely medicine should have advanced since ancient Egypt. Professor Hossam Haick from the Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering at the Technion has finally turned science fiction into reality. His lab succeeded in creating a smart sutureless dressing that binds the wound together, wards off infection … read more

Biomedical engineering professor Kyle Quinn has received a four-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop non-invasive, real-time “optical biopsies” of chronic skin wounds.

The goal of Quinn and researchers in his lab is to provide digital histopathology images — the microscopic examination of tissue to study the manifestation and progression of disease — and other quantitative information without the need for an invasive biopsy, tissue processing and staining with histology dyes … read more

People with diabetes and a history of foot ulcer are more likely to die than undergo amputation during 6 years of follow-up, a potential measure of effectiveness of diabetes care, registry data from Scotland show.

In an analysis of real-world data comparing people with diabetes with and without foot ulcer, researchers also found amputation or death occurred for approximately one in two of those with a prior foot ulcer … read more

There is growing concern regarding the treatment of infection, caused by the rise of antimicrobial resistance. This position document looks at current treatment approaches to identifying and treating biofilm in wounds, focusing on the mechanism of action and role of non-medicated wound dressings (NMWDs) within antimicrobial stewardship practices and evidence that supports their effectiveness … read more

The T.I.M.E. Clinical Decision Support Tool
This document seeks to help clinicians support those who do not have specialist wound training to accurately assess patients and their wounds and arrive at a broad-based, systematic rationale that will ultimately help reduce variations in clinical decision-making. The T.I.M.E. Clinical Decision Support Tool provides a structured approach to wound bed preparation … read more

Using Sensor Technology in Nursing Homes: A Quality Improvement ProgramA Quality Improvement Program
Turning nursing home residents every 2 hours has been a long-held standard for pressure injury (PrI) prevention in individuals with mobility impairments although evidence to substantiate this practice is limited. New guidelines recommend personalizing turning schedules to support person-centered care but lack specific recommendations about which turning frequencies are appropriate for various risk levels. PURPOSE: This quality improvement program aimed to determine the feasibility and outcomes of using individualized turn schedules for newly admitted nursing home residents. METHODS: An expert panel of wound clinicians developed, tested, and implemented a turn frequency tool that allowed staff in 2 nursing homes to select a turning schedule of 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours based on resident risk factors. Turning schedules were operationalized using a wearable sensor-based visual cueing technology that alerted staff to resident repositioning needs. Nonparticipating resident data were collected for comparison of PrI incidence. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all covariates. Significance of differences tests were performed as … read more

Diabetes foot ulcers are a leading cause of death in diabetic individuals. There are very few medicines and treatments that have received regulatory clearance for this indication, and numerous compounds from various pharmacological classes are now in various stages of clinical studies for diabetic foot ulcers treatment. Multiple risk factors contribute to diabetic foot ulcers, including neuropathy, peripheral artery disease, infection, gender, cigarette smoking, and age. The present difficulties in diabetic foot ulcers treatment are related to bacterial resistance to currently utilized antibiotics. Inhibition of the quorum sensing (QS) system and targeting matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9) are promising. This study focuses on the difficulties of existing treatment, current treatment technique, and novel pharmacological targets for diabetic foot ulcer. The electronic data base search diabetic for literature on foot ulcers treatment was carried out using Science Direct, PubMed, Google-Scholar, Springer Link, Scopus, and Wiley up to 2021. Becaplermin, a medication that targets MMP-9, glyceryl trinitrate, which inhibits the bacterial quorum sensing system, probiotic therapy, and nano technological solutions are just a few of the novel pharmaceuticals being developed for diabetic foot ulcers … read more

New research being presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), held online this year (27 Sept-1 Oct), reveals how Belgium’s efforts to maintain a diabetic foot care program during the COVID-19 pandemic can offer valuable lessons to the rest of the world … “Thanks to the great efforts of diabetic foot clinics, continued availability of diabetic foot ulcer services during lockdown, although in a limited capacity, were really helpful, and may be the reason why we didn’t see late presentation and the impact on the severity of ulcers was limited to slightly larger wounds”, says lead author Dr. An-Sofie Vanherwegen from Sciensano … read more

as a Cost- and Clinically Effective Wound Care Modality

Chronic wounds pose a widespread challenge to health care, with many new, costly wound care modalities introduced in recent years with varying degrees of success. Bacterial biofilms have been postulated as one of the main culprits of the stagnation of chronic wound healing. For years, surgical fields have used pressurized irrigation for cleansing surgical wounds, but its utility in managing nonhealing chronic wounds has often been overlooked. Objective. In this case series, the authors aimed to demonstrate that hydromechanical therapy with pressurized irrigation can be a cost-effective and clinically effective wound care modality … read more

A new formulation developed by University of South Australia scientists to treat antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections in diabetic foot ulcers could also be used to kill the COVID-19 virus circulating in air conditioning systems … Enhancing cold plasma ionized gas with peracetic acid eradicates bacteria in wounds and substantially reduces SARS-CoV-2 viral loads, Australian and UK scientists claim in a paper published in Applied Physics Letters … read more

This is fairly complex issue. There are many factors in responding to your question. Really, it’s multi-factor issue. Part of the challenge is that the regulatory agency, FDA, has a very clear, and at the same time, very narrow definition of wound healing. That is 100% wound closure with no drainage or no need for any dressing … read more

This webinar, presented by Matt Berezo, Joshua Budman, Abbey Cooper, and Cathy Thomas Hess will discuss how wound care-specific analytics can impact a practice’s workflow. Specifically, the presenters will discuss several clinical analytics models, how they are validated, and how clinicians can use them to improve their clinical and operational outcomes … register

As 2021 comes to a close, it marks 2 full years that the US, Canada, and other parts of the world have endured the effects of COVID-19 on our personal and professional lives. The pandemic continues to force our hands in so many ways that were unimaginable just a short time ago and has had innumerable unforeseen consequences for patients and providers. In this issue, articles on provider- and patient-centered concerns speak to the social, psychological, and physical components that determine quality-of-life scores and impact activities of daily living … read more

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can reduce thermal wound complications, length of stay in hospitals due to thermal burns, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) mRNA gene expression, and ICAM-1 serum level, a case-control study published in Annals of Medicine and Surgery concludes.

“The damaging effects of thermal burns need to be managed holistically in order to create a suitable environment for wound healing,” study author Mendy Hatibie Oley (University Sam Ratulangi; R D Kandou Hospital; Hyperbaric Centre Siloam Hospital; all Manado, Indonesia) et al write … read more

Kicking off any new year allows us to pause and reflect on the previous year’s actions and results. When you work within wound care, perhaps your first action this year was to review your schedule of patients to ensure they were provided the proper time to be seen, or review your staffing matrix to ensure you are you are meeting the needs of the scheduled patients, or dig into your supply cabinets to ensure inventory is abundant. Each action is vital to maintain your business and is interconnected to your unique process … read more

How reliable are our screening tools for peripheral arterial disease (PAD)? A recently published meta-analysis suggests that while our current diagnostic testing measures are promising, one should be wary of relying upon any one tool in isolation in patients with diabetes.

In their 2020 study in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, Normahani and coworkers reviewed and analyzed studies to evaluate the accuracy of bedside testing for PAD in patients with diabetes.1 In examining the diagnostic accuracy of the ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI), the toe brachial pressure index (TBPI) and the tibial waveform assessment, these authors reviewed 11 studies (including a total of 1,543 limbs) … read more

In this podcast, Laura Swoboda, DNP, APNP, FNP-C, CWOCN-AP, shares expert knowledge on the human microbiome and its influences on the immune response, inflammation, and metabolism, which can impact wound healing … listen

Chronic wound care is challenging for the entire healthcare ecosystem, from clinicians to patients, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated those challenges. Patients are delaying primary care provider and wound clinician visits for ongoing guidance and therapy to reduce possible exposure to the virus. This is understandable, as many chronic wound patients are in the high-risk category if they become ill with COVID-19.1 They are also putting off elective surgeries, annual physicals, and basic preventive care, which can negatively affect long-term outcomes. A survey of wound care clinicians in March 2021 reported a decrease in patient visits from pre-pandemic numbers, and 57% of respondents stated that “wound severity has either increased or significantly increased since the start of the pandemic.”2 At the same time, the pandemic has accelerated patient-driven care and increased usage of interactive devices for care administered at home, rapidly increasing the use of telemedicine across demographics … read more

APO-2 (Aposec) is a secretome-based trial preparation derived from stressed peripheral blood mononuclear cells. APO-2 was shown to be safe and effective in a multinational Phase I study in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (non-healing foot ulcers). The Data Safety Monitoring Board has therefore recommended continuation into a Phase II clinical trial. This represents a major success for the wound healing preparation developed at MedUni Vienna … read more

But there is legislation moving through Congress that seeks funding to improve public awareness and early detection.

Vascular surgen Dr. Lee Kirksey of the Cleveland Clinic said there is no disease that ravages the body quite like diabetes. The complications can be serious: heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and the most worrisome and drastic of all, limb loss.

“When I talk to diabetics, their greatest fear and they know that they can have a heart attack or stroke, their greatest fear is having to have an amputation,” said Dr. Kirksey.

According to Dr. Kirksey, as many as 25% of patients with diabetes at some point will develop a foot ulcer and if left untreated, that ulcer can lead to infection and amputation … read more

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are the most common causes of leg ulcers due to venous insufficiency. Most cases persist for more than 6 weeks, referred to as chronic VLUs. These chronic ulcers have been described as a manifestation of Klinefelter syndrome (KS). Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a second-generation platelet concentrate, which contains growth factors required for chronic wound healing. The use of PRF in the management of VLUs in KS has not been reported, to the best of our knowledge. We report a case of chronic VLU associated with KS in a 41-year-old man treated with PRF. Dermatological examination showed a tender, shallow, irregular ulcer partly covered with hard, yellow necrotic tissue on the anterior side of the lower-left leg and hyperpigmented indurated skin on both lower legs. The diagnosis of venous ulcer was established based on clinical manifestation and supported by the result of Doppler ultrasound showed chronic venous insufficiency. Histopathological examination, which showed epidermal acanthosis … read more

A medical doctor says the proportion of diabetes cases that developed complications may have risen by roughly 15 to 20 per cent.
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — Late detection and interruptions to clinic visits for diabetic treatments during the Covid-19 pandemic have led to complications in some patients … Many had their appointments deferred as the government imposed a nationwide lockdown in March last year … “Because of the first movement control order (MCO 1.0), there is a higher chance for us to see patients who are coming in, not only with diabetic foot ulcers, but some may have rot their toes and limbs,” the doctor said … read more

Determining Wound Etiology:
Predominant pain pattern, ulcer location, ulcer appearance, type and amount of wound exudate, and vascular and sensorimotor assessment are some key factors used to determine the primary etiology of lower extremity ulcers.1

Etiology Guides Treatment:
Certain patients will have a clear presentation of wound etiology, whereas others may present with a mixed wound appearance. The certified wound specialist will complete a thorough history and physical assessment when determining wound etiology. From there, an individualized plan of care will be created, implemented, and continuously evaluated. For example … read more

Q: What resources do you use and/or recommend for physicians to educate themselves on health inequities, especially in the field of wound care?
A:
Babajide Ogunlana, DPM, FACFAS, encourages physician to learn first-hand by engaging in community outreach-type programs that seek to improve access to care.

“The field of wound care has a lot of cost implications that tend to tilt the services offered and/or available to the patient in the direction of who can afford it or whose insurance company … read more

KUWAIT: Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), a leading diabetes research Institute established by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, held recently its specialized three-day course on the ‘Prevention and Management of Diabetic Foot Complications’.

This program was held at the Institute and attended by healthcare professionals. Trainees learned to assess and treat the feet in people with diabetes using evidence-based assessment and treatment methods, aimed at reduction of diabetic foot ulceration and amputation. This program was organized and delivered by Kay Scarsbrook Khan, Chief Podiatrist and Dr Abdullah Al-Ajmi … read more

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital wound care unit in western Turkey with 134 patients. The data were collected via personal information form, Barthel Index for activities of daily living, visual analog scale, and Short Form-12 questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation were used for data analysis … read more

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among hospitalized patients with a chronic wound and explore the influence of demographic factors, disease characteristics, social support, and coping styles on their mental status … read more

A study published in the Advances in Skin & Wound Care Journal examined wound care information to help educate about care for the specific physiology of newborns.

A group of researchers aimed to help physicians differentiate the use of hydrocolloids, hydrogels, foam dressings, and barrier creams in the neonatal population and identify issues related to the use of solvents, alginates, collagen dressings, and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in neonates, according to an article in the Advances in Skin & Wound Care journal.1

PubMed, Google Scholar, and other journals/textbooks were used to help collect data on wound healing in newborn patients. With this data, the authors of the study aimed to discuss what is already known about wound milieu in premature and full-term neonates, including the unique challenges pediatric clinicians face, the therapies that have proven effective, and the therapies … read more

A study investigated the clinical and economic burdens of wound care in the Tropics during a 5-year institutional review.

In an article published in the International Wound Journal, researchers evaluated the clinical and economic burden of wound care in the Tropics during a 5-year institutional population health review that occurred from 2013 to 2017.1

The 55,583 wounds included in the study were classified into different subtypes: neuro-ischaemic ulcers (NIUs), venous leg ulcers (VLUs), pressure injuries (PIs), and surgical site infections (SSIs). There were 41,461 patients admitted during that time with a 95.1% increase in wound episodes per 1000 inpatient admissions during this period (142 and 277 wound episodes per 1000 inpatient admissions in 2013 and 2017, respectively).

In 2017, the average amount of time a patient had to stay in the hospital for wound care were 17.7 … read more

Do you remember that cartoon from the 1960s (and later reproduced in the 1980s), The Jetsons? It was about a futuristic family that had all kinds of amazing robot helpers and automatic appliances. Rosie the Robot was the wonderbot that would whisk about the house, frantically preforming housekeeping duties, monitoring the security of the home, and generally making sure that everything was online and functioning. Do you ever feel like this as a clinician? Rushing about, multitasking, being pulled in what seems like a hundred different directions, all while expected to perform with “Rosie-like” perfect, machine-like efficiency. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have Rosie’s artificial intelligence technology … read more

Related: Pressure Injuries and Disparities in Health Care: Important Terms to Know

In the last 2 years, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities have seen unprecedented surges in admissions attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the world. Just in the United States, we saw a high of 116,243 weekly hospital admissions in mid-January of 2021. This dropped to a low of 13, 424 in mid-June of 2021 and then bumped up again to 86,871 in August of 2021.1 With this fluctuation of numbers, along with staffing shortages and burnout, wound care professionals have seen significant overcrowding in many hospitals and facilities. Caregivers and clinicians are stretched thin. They are taking on more patients, who tend to be sicker and with more acute needs on a global scale. These patients tend to be at higher risk of developing a pressure injury … read more

The crystalline clarity with which smartphones can now capture images has been put to another innovative use: monitoring patients who’ve undergone emergency abdominal surgery for surgical-site infections (SSIs) and allowing physicians to diagnose them earlier in the postoperative period before they morph into a much bigger problem.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there have been big changes in how care after surgery is delivered,” Kenneth McLean, MBChB, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, observed in a statement.

“Patients and staff have become used to having remote consultations and we’ve shown we can effectively and safely monitor wounds … read more

Here’s a question for you: How long does it take for a pressure injury (PI) to form? Do you think it happens in 30 minutes? 2 hours? 8 hours? The answer is actually all of the above. The time it takes for a PI to develop depends on a number of different factors, which we will discuss here. This blog will describe how a PI forms, some signs that a PI is forming, and how to assess a patient’s skin for a PI. It will then look at some types of intervention and assessment that help in the prevention and treatment of a PI, as well as track its healing or declination … read more

When bacteria make their way into wounds, they literally threaten life and limb—unless they are detected as quickly as possible. A new sensor can nestle in bandages and alert a nearby smartphone when the bacterial population tips over into dangerous territory.

Healthy human skin is covered with bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, which are quick to colonize an open wound. To prevent the bacteria from spreading through the body, which can permanently injure or kill a person, the infected wound may need to be cleaned and treated with antibiotics or—in the most extreme situations—the affected limb may require amputation … read more

A nurse recently shared some of her experiences as a charge nurse in a skilled facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. She worked evenings (3-11:30 pm) at a local facility and was overwhelmed by the high number of patients she was responsible for. She typically worked on a 26-bed floor with just one nurse assistant for the shift. She later transferred to the night shift, where she was the only person on a 16-bed unit for the 8 hours. When asked how she was able to reposition patients as frequently as was recommended, the nurse said that she did “the best I could.” She is, unfortunately, not alone … read more

The FDA accepted a priority review of a supplemental new drug application for setmelanotide (Imcivree), a melanocortin-4 receptor agonist, for the treatment of Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Alström syndrome, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals announced. The FDA assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of March 16, 2022 … After getting the green light from the FDA, Paracrine announced plans to initiate its pivotal ASCEND trial testing its Celution System for diabetic foot ulcers … read more

ProgenaCare Global, formerly Cell Constructs, has developed innovative products for wound healing that provide excellent outcomes for patients, while advancing the use of renewable materials. The company’s wound care technology, ProgenaMatrix™, incorporates human keratin as a major component of the highly effective and affordable wound therapy.

The all-natural robust human keratin protein option that constitutes this specialized biomaterial offers a completely unique solution to wound care clinicians. The human keratin technology in ProgenaMatrix is hydrated, non-cellular (not tissue-based), non-resorbing and supports the body’s own healing process. The bio-inspired design makes ProgenaMatrix the next generation of advanced wound therapy in the CMS skin substitute category … read more

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ATLANTA, November 17, 2021 / PRNewswire / – ProgenaCare Global, formerly Cell Constructs, has developed innovative wound healing products that deliver great patient outcomes while advancing the use of renewable materials. The company’s wound care technology, ProgenaMatrix™, contains human keratin as the main component of highly effective and inexpensive wound therapy.

The all-natural, rugged human keratin protein option that makes up this specialized biomaterial offers surgeons a completely unique solution. The human keratin technology in ProgenaMatrix is ​​hydrated, non-cellular (non-tissue-based), non-resorbing and supports the body’s own healing process. The bio-inspired design makes ProgenaMatrix the next generation of advanced wound therapy in the CMS skin replacement category.

Keratin technology has been in the published literature for over a century with applications in wound healing, drug delivery, tissue engineering, trauma and medical devices … read more

Her small toe was turning purple, and the pain was excruciating. Glory Paschal knew how fast this could spiral. She just had to look around her neighborhood in Watts to see how many residents were missing feet and legs.

She fought for a referral to a podiatrist, but by the time she saw one, it was too late.

On Feb. 10, 2011, doctors at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center had no option but to amputate her left leg below the knee.

This summer, the now 53-year-old Black grandmother was back in the hospital, this time with two infections particularly lethal for a diabetic: severe COVID-19 had her gasping for breath and gangrene was eating away at her remaining foot … read more

U.S. Pivotal Trial in Patients With Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Paracrine, Inc. announced today that the FDA has granted full approval of its Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to conduct a new pivotal trial titled Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells (ADRCs) in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs): A Prospective, Double-blind, Multi-center, Randomized, Parallel-group Study – The “ASCEND Trial.”

The ASCEND Trial is a Pivotal Trial designed to provide a robust data set on the safety and efficacy of ADRCs in the treatment of patients with DFUs. The trial will include up to 291 patients at 25 clinical sites in the U.S. Trial results will be submitted in a Premarket Approval (PMA) application to the FDA to support regulatory approval.

Dr. Robert G. Frykberg, Co-Principal Investigator for The ASCEND Trial and past Foot Care Council Chair of the American Diabetes Association, stated: “Despite recent advancements in wound care and pharmacotherapy techniques, up to one quarter of patients with diabetes will develop diabetic foot ulcers – a leading cause of disability worldwide. The goal of this pivotal study is to compare the use of ADRCs against the current standard of care and determine if ADRCs can improve clinical outcomes in this challenging patient population.” … read more

Soft K-Cot® brush-curette is designed to be both minimally invasive and clinically effective for wound hygiene, debridement, and optional tissue sampling. The nitrile finger cot tip is coated with Kylon®, a patented medical fabric which dislodges and collects wound debris efficiently and effectively.

Histologics LLC’s primary objective is to advance a compassionate approach to debridement and wound sampling with devices using Kylon®, a medical fabric enabling frictional tissue cleaning, and debridement with optional specimen capture.

Benefits:

• Fabric disk on finger cot tip is designed for flat or curved wounds that are visible on the body surface
• Versatile use, Ergonomic, and minimally invasive design facilitates user tactile control for targeting and guiding the brushing, sweeping and rotational movements – modulating tactile pressure and method allows for light brushing away of debris versus pressure twisting motion curettage of the wound surface.
• Kylon® medical fabric hooks gently, yet substantially excavates the wound surface, dislodging debris and necrotic tissue, which can be easily wiped off the wound surface with gauze
• Designed for compassionate patient experience and compliance
• Promotes the efficiency of a debriding procedure
• Abundant tissue samples can be collected, stored and transported for laboratory analysis

Indications:
The Soft K-Cot® is indicated for patients with small to moderate sized (no larger than 6cmx6cm), non-fibrotic surfaces of wounds requiring cleansing or debridement in order to remove non-viable tissue and debris. Debridement may stimulate blood flow to encourage tissue regrowth. It is also indicated for scraping or debriding and then transporting tissue requiring histological analyses for further laboratory evaluation regarding infection or other pathology.

Contraindications:
Soft K-Cot® is contraindicated for use with patients with known bleeding disorders or those on anticoagulant therapy, patients with an acute wound infection or condition that is not amenable to debridement, patients with a known allergy to nylon or acrylic plastic, or patients who are pregnant or suspected to be pregnant when a wound biopsy would not be indicated.

Warnings and Precautions:
Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician or other licensed practitioner.

Storage Requirements:
Consult manufacturer on special storage requirements outside of normal room temperatures.

How Supplied/Sizing:
Box of 25 minimum order

Recommended Use:

• Burns
• Chronic Wounds
• Diabetic Foot
• Graft Bed Preparation
• Non/Minimally Exudating Wounds
• Palliative Wounds
• Pressure Ulcers
• Sloughy Wounds
• Surgical Wounds
• Venous Ulcers

Mode of Use/Application:
See manufacturer’s website for detailed instructions for use (IFU):
Instructions for use

Clinically Tested:
Latex-friendly

Product features:

• Single Use
• Disposable
• Instrument
• Sterile
• Variety of sizes

Other features:

• Educational Material Available
• Free Samples/Trials Available
• Published Clinical Study Available

Free Sample Kit Available on Request to:
support@histologicswc.com

Histologics LLC, 4095 E. LaPalma Ave, St N, Anaheim, CA 92807, (888) 235-2275
www.histologicswc.com
support@histologicswc.com

My colleagues, Barbara Delmore PhD, RN, CWCN, MAPWCA and Jill Cox PhD, RN, APN-c, CWOCN, and I have written a paper,1 available electronically ahead of print, that reviews the skin failure concept, defines related controversies, and proposes a model for its pathogenesis. Like all other organs, skin can fail; however, experts continue to grapple with definitions, causative factors, and manifestations. By defining contributing factors that apply to other organ systems, providers establish skin failure as an entity and thus are able to recognize and address it in practice. This also enables providers to assist regulators by incorporating these pathophysiologic factors into modification of quality measurement criteria. Unifying the concept across the health care continuum … read more

Global Business Leaders magazine features Kent Imaging: Setting A New Global Standard in Advanced Tissue Assessment.

CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, November 16, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — Kent Imaging Inc., a leading innovator in oxygenation imaging is pleased to report that the company has been named #15 on the list of “The 20 Most Promising Businesses to Watch in 2021” by Global Business Leaders magazine.

Kent Imaging’s flagship product is SnapshotNIR, a handheld and lightweight point-of-care device that can capture tissue oxygenation in superficial tissue with a single click of its camera-like structure. Using multiple wavelengths of near-infrared (NIR) light, SnapshotNIR non-invasively measures relative amounts of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the microcirculation of tissue where oxygen exchange is happening.

With the innovative SnapshotNIR device, Kent is focused on delivering improved usability to enhance workflow integration … read more

Although silver is highly effective at killing bacteria, it can also be toxic to humans in large amounts. That’s where a new wound dressing is intended to come in, as it only releases its silver payload when infections are present.

Currently being developed at the University of South Australia, the dressing is intended mainly for use on children with burn injuries, as they are particularly at risk of serious infections and sepsis. It’s made up of a topically applied hydrogel that contains silver nanoparticles along with proprietary ingredients which are sensitive to changes in pH and temperature … read more

EATONTOWN, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / November 16, 2021 / American CryoStem Corporation (OTC PINK:CRYO), a clinical stage biotechnology company, global licensor and a pioneer in autologous cellular processing and therapies announced today that it has completed the development of a new standardized wound healing protocol utilizing its tissue based technologies with Advanced Regenerative Associates (Tinton Falls, NJ). The Company’s wound healing technologies rely on exemptions from FDA clinical study and approval for the use of human tissue and cell products (PHS 361 and 21CFR1271.10) and is incorporated into the current standards of care protocols currently in use. The new protocol is focusing on realigning the microenvironment of the treatment area to achieve greater healing support during the treatment period utilizing current standard of care protocols. The initial rollout is fashioned as a study to collect additional information about the wound environment and healing progress. The Company intends to obtain informed consent from each participant for the collection, analysis and potential publication of the assessment data as required under current regulations … read more

BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — CūtisCare, a leading provider of wound care management services to hospitals and physicians, is continuing our fight this month to raise awareness regarding diabetes and the available treatment options to help save limbs and lives. According to the CDC, diabetes currently adversely impacts the lives of approximately 34 million Americans, and that number is continuing to increase each year. About 25% of people with diabetes will develop foot ulcers, and 1% end up with an amputation in their lifetime. However, as many as 85% of potential amputations can be avoided when advanced modalities, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, are added to a treatment plan.

There is good news on the horizon though. Many of these amputations are preventable. HBOT is one therapy that is showing great promise. Louis Pilati MD, CutisCare’s Medical Advisory Board Member, expounds on the manifold benefits of HBOT for patients with Wagner Grade 3 or higher … read more

Safe and effective – wound healing preparation reaches clinical phase II: APO-2 (Aposec) is a secretome-based trial preparation derived from stressed peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

APO-2 was shown to be safe and effective in a multinational Phase I study in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (non-healing foot ulcers). The Data Safety Monitoring Board has therefore recommended continuation into a Phase II clinical trial. This represents a major success for the wound healing preparation developed at MedUni Vienna. APO-2 contains the secretome … read more

I have on several occasions had the unpleasant duty of telling family, friends and clients about a medical condition that they may be challenged with; heart disease, stroke, HIV, COVID-19, cancer etc. but none of them seem to have the same impact as DIABETES. Many people who have never seen the inside of a church building will break out into uncontrollable “tongues” that will amaze even the Apostles at Pentecost. That is how much diabetes is feared and it can cause havoc if not managed properly.

Diabetes on its own will not kill even if it wipes your bank account dry BUT the organ complications that come with poor management or no management is the killer … read more

Delayed wound healing and the resulting impact to the cost of care impacts both patients and facilities across the healthcare continuum. When it comes to wound care, no one is comfortable choosing a service provider with only a basic understanding of the subject. Thus, a product specialist with a historical legacy of providing effective products will invariably gain market traction due to its reliability. Founded in 1995, Hymed has been a renowned name in the healthcare industry for over two decades, offering safe and efficacious, natural wound care products. The company is the developer of innovative wound care products that utilize collagen (the chief structural protein of the body), hyaluronic acid (HA) and glycosaminogly can chemistry for human and animal use. In addition to wound care, these products find varied applications in joint/tissue support, surgery, eye care, dental, and dermatology, and the cosmetic industry … read more

Africa is set to see diabetes cases more than double to 55 million by 2045, the biggest increase across the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday.

“The COVID-19 pandemic will eventually subside, but Africa is projected in the coming years to experience the highest increase in diabetes globally,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

Twenty-four million people are living with diabetes today in Africa, which is also the region with the “highest number of people who do not know their diagnosis,” the WHO statement said … read more

“Foot selfies” may be a simple solution to keeping tabs on patients at high risk for diabetic foot complications.

Patients with or at risk of foot ulcers are told to check their feet regularly at home, but doing so can be difficult for those who aren’t flexible or who have vision problems. Those who live alone may not be able to ask someone else to check their feet for them. Some use hand mirrors, but those can be difficult to manipulate and don’t offer feedback … read more

A new foot ulcer formulation developed by scientists at the University of South Australia could be used to kill the COVID-19 virus, according to new research.

In a study published in the journal Applied Physics Letters, the team looked at the treatment of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections, experimenting to find an effective non-antibiotic antimicrobial strategy to combat the infections in diabetic foot ulcers.

The authors found that enhancing cold plasma ionized gas with peracetic acid was “highly effective” at eradicating common wound pathogenic bacteria and at inactivating SARS-Cov-2 … read more

Freudenberg Performance Materials will showcase its multi-layer material compositions of hydrophilic PU foams and hydroactive nonwovens for sustainable woundcare at Compamed in Düsseldorf from November 15-18 2021.

The Eco-Check label endorses particularly sustainable solutions for the design of wound plasters which use bio-based raw materials, allowing biodegradation in an industrial composting setting after the product has been used.

M 1701 for traditional woundcare plasters comprises 100% polylactid acid derived from natural resources and offers good woundcare characteristics, while M 1714 has superior absorption for more challenging wounds and consists of a mix of bio-based fibres. With a smooth wound contact layer, M 1714 has already been evaluated for industrial compostability and conforms with the ISO 13432 standard … read more

BACTERIAL BURDEN IN WOUNDS

High bacterial load contributes to chronicity of wounds and is diagnosed based on assessment of clinical signs and symptoms (CSS) of infection, but these characteristics are poor predictors of bacterial burden. Point-of-care fluorescence imaging (FL) can improve identification of wounds with high bacterial burden (>10⁴ CFU/g). FL detects bacteria, whether planktonic or in biofilm, but does not distinguish between the two. In this study, diagnostic accuracy of FL was compared to CSS during routine wound assessment … read more

PIEZO1, an ion channel mechanosensor found within cells, has been revealed to play a key role in regulating the speed of skin wound healing by researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

Published today in eLife, the study (“Spatiotemporal dynamics of PIEZO1 localization controls keratinocyte migration during wound healing”) found that in mice lacking the ion channel protein PIEZO1 in keratinocytes, skin wounds heal faster than in mice with increased PIEZO1 function in keratinocytes … read more

The Wound Care unit at Decatur County Memorial Hospital has been selected to participate in a new study on the uses of hyperbaric oxygen treatment in partnership with the Indiana Department of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The HBOT Pilot Program will study the effect that hyperbaric chamber treatments can have on PTSD and traumatic brain injuries in veterans.

The VA seeks to improve the lives and health of veterans, and they have seen significant anecdotal evidence of the symptoms of PTSD decreasing and traumatic brain injuries improving during hyperbaric therapy … read more

an ion channel mechanosensor found within cells, has been revealed to play a key role in regulating the speed of skin wound healing by researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

Published today in eLife, the study, titled, “Spatiotemporal dynamics of PIEZO1 localization controls keratinocyte migration during wound healing,” found that in mice lacking the ion channel protein PIEZO1 in keratinocytes, skin wounds heal faster than in mice with increased PIEZO1 function in keratinocytes … read more

with Dyamed Biotech for New Territories and Products in Southeast Asia
Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNOA), a global healthcare leader developing and producing stabilized hypochlorous acid (HOCl) products for a wide range of applications, including wound care, eye care, nasal care, oral care, dermatological conditions and disinfectant use, and its long-time partner, Dyamed Biotech Pte Ltd., announce a renewed and expanded long-term partnership for Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand for multiple indications using Sonoma’s patented Microcyn® Technology.

Dyamed Biotech Pte Ltd., one of Sonoma’s first international partners, successfully commercializes Dermacyn® Wound Care, Dermacyn® Scarless for Scar Reduction, and Dermacyn® Ezyma Spray for itch relief associated with atopic dermatitis. Dyamed expects to launch Ocucyn® Eye Care and Oracyn® Oral Care in 2022. The Dermacyn® line of products are widely used at many hospitals throughout Singapore and Malaysia … read more

Healing of Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers (OTONAL Trial)
Natrox™ topical oxygen therapy (TOT) (Inotec AMD Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK) employs a small battery-powered “oxygen generator” to concentrate atmospheric oxygen and feeds pure, moist, oxygen through a fine, soft tube to a dressing-like “oxygen distribution system”, which is placed over the wound and is held in place by a conventional dressing. The aim was to determine the effectiveness of Natrox™ for non-healing diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) over a 3-month period.Longitudinal, single-arm, open prospective registry study using 12 weeks of TOT using a 4 week run-in period. 20 patients recruited to OTONAL had chronic DFU greater than 3 months duration or minor amputation sites with less than 50% healing in 4 weeks.There were 13 (65%) males and the mean age was 65.7 (±11.6) years. The mean glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was 6.9 (±1.3) mmol mol-1 and mean wound duration before TOT was 114 (±79.1) days. 18/20 (90.0%) patients had concomitant lower limb revascularization angioplasty for chronic limb threatening ischaemia. The mean size … read more

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, a time to bring attention to this fast-growing, life-threatening epidemic. Currently more than 34 million Americans have diabetes and this number is expected to increase to 54.9 million by 2030. Increases have been attributed to a rise in obesity rates and an aging population, but new research shows that younger people are being diagnosed with the disease. From 2001 to 2017, the number of people under age 20 living with diabetes increased by 45 percent, and the number living with type 2 diabetes grew by 95 percent. This troubling development is expected to further challenge the healthcare system in the coming decades … read more

Skin wounds from ischemia-reperfusion injuries — tissue damage caused by blood returning to tissues after a period of oxygen deprivation — may not heal appropriately in some patients, owing to elusive underlying immunological mechanisms. Scientists from Japan have now succeeded in proposing a means to solve this medical conundrum by understanding the role of interleukin-36 receptor antagonists as they act to inhibit the effects of interleukin-36 cytokines, which could help identify new therapeutic targets for wound healing … read more

Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are at very high risk of cardiovascular events, but risk factor management is usually suboptimal. This Joint Task Force from the European Atherosclerosis Society and the European Society of Vascular Medicine has updated evidence on the management on dyslipidaemia and thrombotic factors in patients with PAD. Guidelines recommend a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) goal of more than 50% reduction from baseline and <1.4 mmol/L (<55 mg/dL) in PAD patients. As demonstrated by randomized controlled trials, lowering LDL-C not only reduces cardiovascular events but also major adverse limb events (MALE), including amputations, of the order of 25%. Addition of ezetimibe or a PCSK9 inhibitor further decreases the risk of cardiovascular events, and PCSK9 inhibition has also been associated with reduction in the risk of MALE by up to 40%. Furthermore, statin- based treatment improved walking … read more

Joseph Borg, a lecturer and researcher in Applied Biomedical Science at the University of Malta’s Faculty of Health Sciences, will deliver a talk and presentation on Wednesday, November 10 at 7pm at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, regarding an experiment on diabetes he is conducting at the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Project Maleth.

Prof. Borg’s experiment is the first Maltese presence at the ISS, launching the nation into a new era of involvement in space … read more

Isolates Among Post-Operative Patients in Harari Region Public Hospitals, Harar, Eastern Ethiopia
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are infections that occur one month after a surgical operation or one year after implant surgery and a surgical procedure, either at the injury site or near the injury site. Surgical site infections are still a major global problem, especially in developing countries, where they cause increased morbidity and mortality. There is a dearth of information regarding SSIs in the eastern Ethiopia, particularly in this study area … read more

Researchers at the University of Bath in the UK, along with outside collaborators, have developed a simple color change test that rapidly indicates whether a wound is infected with harmful bacteria. The test works by detecting virulence factors released by the bacteria, which prompt a simple color change in a solution. The test could help clinicians to determine whether to prescribe antibiotics, and may help to avoid unnecessary prescribing. As the test can be administered at the point of care, and does not require expensive and time-consuming laboratory analysis, it may be very useful in low-resource or remote regions … read more

Industry researchers have used machine learning to predict healing times for wounds based in part on patient data stored in electronic health records.

The team suggests its model can help clinicians make optimal decisions for treating slow-to-heal abrasions, lacerations and so on by knowing which new and preexisting patient traits are most likely to influence outcomes.

The study was conducted by staff members of Net Health, a supplier of software and analytics services, and is current in Advances in Wound Care.

The team trained AI prediction models on data from more than 1.2 million wounds … read more

Herzliya-based MedCu’s product have already been approved by the US FDA.
An innovative Israeli-made wound dressing has been found to drastically stimulate the healing of diabetic wounds, a new study by physicians at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa has found.
Copper Oxide Impregnated Wound Dressings, developed by Herzliya-based MedCu Technologies, have already received clearance by the major international regulatory bodies – including the United States’ FDA – for use in acute and chronic wounds.
“What is special about our dressing is that it contains particles of copper oxide,” said Dr. Gadi Borkow … read more

This month we celebrate World Diabetes Day on November 14,1 which is the birthday of Dr Frederick G. Banting, one of four key collaborators in the discovery of insulin. He pursued the idea that an important element in the pancreas could help save the lives of persons with type 1 diabetes: insulin. It took the other members his team—collaborators at of the University of Toronto— to isolate insulin from the pancreas and formulate it into a lifesaving clinical reality. All of this happened 100 years ago this November, when the researchers demonstrated that insulin extract reduced blood sugar in laboratory animals.1 Because they felt so strongly that this medical breakthrough had to be available to all, they sold the patent for 100 cents ($1) so insulin could be affordable for everyone who needed … read more

CMS CY 2021 hospital outpatient and physician fee schedule proposed rules
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services have released for comment its proposed CY 2021 updates to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Physician Fee Schedule. Below, verbatim, are several provisions the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders has identified as particularly impacting wound care clinicians, which the Alliance will be tracking and preparing comment on … read more

Information regarding coding, coverage, and payment is provided as a service to our readers. Every effort has been made to ensure information accuracy. However, HMP Communications and the authors do not represent, guarantee, or warranty that coding, coverage, and payment information is error-free and/or that payment will be received. The ultimate responsibility for verifying information accuracy lies with the reader.

Welcome to the second article dedicated to documentation issues in wound care (click here for the first part). The intent of this article is to point out inconsistencies found in the documentation of a patient’s wound care history and provide possible suggestions on how to avoid creating those inconsistencies. Reviewing numerous wound care records has provided me with interesting findings that I would like to share with you … read more

Chronic wounds are a common and debilitating condition associated with aging populations that impact more than 6.5 million patients in the United States. We have previously demonstrated the efficacy of daily topical 1% valsartan in treating wounds in diabetic mouse and pig models. Despite these promising results, there remains a need to develop an extended-release formulation that would reduce patient burden by decreasing the frequency of daily applications. Here, we used nanotechnology to self-assemble valsartan amphiphiles into a filamentous structure (val-filaments) that would serve as a scaffold in wound beds and allow for steady, localised and tunable release of valsartan amphiphiles over 24 days. Two topical treatments of this peptide-based hydrogel on full-thickness wounds in Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats resulted in faster rates of wound closure. By day 23, all val-filament treated wounds were completely closed, as compared to one wound closed in the placebo group. Mechanistically, we observed enrichment of proteins involved in cell adhesion and energetics pathways … read more

Researchers in Singapore say they have developed a bandage that can detect and wirelessly send medical information related to chronic wounds, such as temperature and bacteria type. With the ability to capture and transmit such data in under 15 minutes, the wearable sensor is touted to speed up assessment of such wounds and provide more timely treatment.

Called VeCare, the platform encompasses a “wound sensing bandage”, an electronic chip, and a mobile app through which data is transmitted, said the research team from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech) at National University of Singapore (NUS). The researchers also worked with clinical partners from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) … read more

Could novel vaccines or even a medieval recipe for eye balm provide new ways to defeat the teeming armies of antibiotic-resistant superbugs?

There is no doubt we desperately need new solutions to tackle infectious bacteria: the World Health Organisation (WHO) lists antimicrobial resistance as a top ten global health threat, saying that by 2050 it will kill more people than cancer if resistance keeps rising at current rates … In April, the WHO warned that none of the 43 antibiotics now being developed can beat the world’s 13 most lethal bacteria, such as Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both of which cause blood infections and pneumonia … read more

AAWC is delighted to be able to offer a live online replay of a select number of presentations from our Pressure Ulcer Summit.

The PrU Summit, themed Reducing Health Disparities in Pressure Ulcer/Injury (PU/PI) Detection & Management, took place on October 7-9, 2021. As part of the AAWC’s commitment to educating health care professionals on this important topic and as a thank you to the generous support from our sponsors and exhibitors, a live online replay conference will be aired globally, at no cost. More information.

A study in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal investigated the role of nutritional intervention in wound care.

The nutritional intervention and its role in wound care has been a controversial topic, according to authors of a review recently published in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal.1 This is the first literature review of mineral and vitamin wound intervention using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines by wound type, according to the review’s authors.

The authors of this review sought to outline the nutrients and delivery methods used in identified relevant studies, analyze treatment outcomes, and summarize the nutrient effectiveness. They also proposed evidence-based conclusions to improve outcomes of wound healing and increase the consistency of nutritional intervention in wound care … read more

An international research team, led by the University of Canterbury‘s Professor Rudi Marquez, has developed a new wound gel that promises horses and humans. This new wound gel will be used to treat foot ulcers and kick-starts tissue regeneration.

As scientists noted, it could have a significant impact on healing horses and humans alike.

To create this gel, scientists used a protein that helps the skin inside the human mouth to heal quickly … read more