Tag: Periwound

Periwound Skin Management

Periwound skin management is just as important as wound bed preparation in wound healing. The goal of periwound management is to maintain an optimal moist wound healing environment while preventing skin breakdown and infection. Skin is more vulnerable in patients with certain comorbidities and conditions. Periwound skin breakdown is just one of the culprits that delay wound healing and increase pain … read more

Use of a Novel Silicone-Acrylic Drape With Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Four Patients With Periwound Skin Breakdown

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is applied using a foam dressing and an adhesive acrylic drape to create a seal. Removal of this drape can be painful and may play a role in periwound skin breakdown during dressing changes. A novel silicone-acrylic hybrid drape (HA-drape) has been developed for use with NPWT to allow for repositioning after initial placement and easier removal. Objective. This retrospective case series reports on the use of HA-drape in 4 patients who experienced periwound skin breakdown. The goal was to minimize skin breakdown while maintaining a seal on the dressing. Materials and Methods. Four patients with mild to moderate periwound skin breakdown were selected to receive NPWT with HA-drape … read more

Protecting Periwound Skin in Chronic Wounds

The periwound is as important as the wound. As clinicians, we should carefully assess the wound bed, but we need to remember also to assess the periwound and surrounding skin. The periwound should be considered the 4cm of surrounding skin extending from the wound bed. Chronic wounds may manifest any of the following characteristics, depending on wound type: erythema, induration, epibole, ecchymosis, hyperkeratosis, and changes in shape.

Five-Step Periwound Assessment

  1. Temperature
  2. Location
  3. Shape
  4. Color
  5. Wound depth

The temperature of the periwound can be a good indicator of whether active infection is present or to determine whether there is normal blood flow. The back of the hand is most accurate … read more