Tag: Wound Management

All Edema Is Lymphedema: Progressing Lymphedema and Wound Management to an Integrated Model of Care

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

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Wound Management & Prevention

University of Huddersfield and Regional Hospital Wiener Neustadt collaborate for wound management projects

The Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention (ISIaIP) at Huddersfield has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Regional Hospital Wiener Neustadt that will create a satellite office of the ISIaIP south of the Austrian capital Vienna. The alignment will enable joint research projects, international teaching and more publications.

The two institutions have collaborated for several years, with Professor Ojan Assadian having served as a Professor with the ISIaIP for more than four years before returning to Vienna, where he is Medical Director of the Regional Hospital Wiener Neustadt as well as … read more

Wound Management Docs Might Want to Read this Interview with Wound Clinic Nurses

Editor’s note, this is from Aug 18, 2020 but I thought it might be of interest :

The theme of the August issue of Today’s Wound Clinic is “Multidisciplinary Care.” I decided to interview my amazing staff (pictured holding the hospital award for the clinic coming back the strongest since the pandemic, from left to right: Tara Stone, Debi Thompson, Donna Dulaney and Michelle Hebert). I think every physician who practices wound management ought to read this interview. They were brutally honest and probably said some things that other nurses would like to say but haven’t had a “safe space.” I welcome the constructive comments of other nurses, technicians, and therapists about how we can collaborate better in the care of our very complex patients. Here’s a safe space for those comments … read more

Wound Management of Venous Leg Ulcers in the Right Lower Extremity Limb

A 68-year-old male presented for care with lymphedema and multiple, copiously draining ulcerations on the right lower extremity (Figure 1). Symptoms were present for years and failed to respond to compression, foam dressings, or abdominal pads. Previous medical history included hypertension requiring use of anti-hypertensive medication … read more

Improved wound management at lower cost: a sensible goal for Australia

Chronic wounds cost the Australian health system at least US$2·85 billion per year. Wound care services in Australia involve a complex mix of treatment options, health care sectors and funding mechanisms. It is clear that implementation of evidence‐based wound care coincides with large health improvements and cost savings, yet the majority of Australians with chronic wounds do not receive evidence‐based treatment. High initial treatment costs, inadequate reimbursement, poor financial incentives to invest in optimal care and limitations in clinical skills are major barriers to the adoption of evidence‐based wound care. Enhanced education and appropriate financial incentives in primary care will improve uptake of evidence‐based practice. Secondary‐level wound specialty clinics to fill referral gaps in the community, boosted by appropriate credentialing, will improve access to specialist care. In order to secure funding for better services in a competitive environment, evidence of cost‐effectiveness is required. Future effort to generate evidence on the cost‐effectiveness of wound management interventions should provide evidence that decision makers find easy to interpret. If this happens, and it will require a large effort of health services … read more

How Will Wound Care Evolve in the Future?

Wound care is expected to cost billions of pounds annually. Wound management products are estimated to be responsible for almost one-quarter of the costs. New approaches to wound management are discussed in this chapter, along with ways in which innovation will improve patient outcomes … read more

Wound Bed Preparation Best Practices: Optimizing the Wound For Closure

Wound bed preparation is an important component of wound management. Gaps in knowledge of how and why to prepare a wound bed properly for conventional or advanced wound care modalities may delay or impede healing outcomes. This presentation will describe how to prepare a wound bed properly to allow for optimal healing. It will define the term “wound bed preparation” and how it can aid in the management of tissue necrosis and maintain a proper bioburden balance of the wound’s environment. The concept of “TIME” will be used to evaluate a wound’s readiness to progress into the healing phases. The healing phases of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation will be reviewed, and the focus of each phase when preparing the wound bed for treatment will also be discussed. The presentation will conclude by outlining methods of preparing a wound bed for conventional or advanced treatment modalities, including “BEAMS” debridement methods, conventional and advanced dressings, cellular products, and wound vacuum application … Register Now

A flexible multiplexed immunosensor for point-of-care in situ wound monitoring

Chronic wounds arise from interruption of normal healing due to many potential pathophysiological factors. Monitoring these multivariate factors can provide personalized diagnostic information for wound management, but current sensing technologies use complex laboratory tests or track a limited number of wound parameters. We report a flexible biosensing platform for multiplexed profiling of the wound microenvironment, inflammation, and infection state at the point of care. This platform integrates a sensor array for measuring inflammatory mediators [tumor necrosis factor read more

Wound Debridement Options

     The 5 Major Methods

 

There are five types of non-selective and selective debridement methods, but many factors determine what method will be most effective for your patient.1 Determining the debridement method is based not only on the wound presentation and evaluation, but also on the patient’s history and physical examination. Looking at the “whole patient, not only the hole in the patient,” is a valuable quote to live by as a wound care clinician. Ask yourself or your patient these few questions: Has the patient had a previous chronic wound history? Is your patient compliant with the plan of care? Who will be performing the dressing changes? Are there economic factors that affect the treatment plan? Take the answers to these questions into consideration when deciding on debridement methods.

 

The Primary Methods of Debridement: BEAMS
BEAMS is an mnemonic that is widely used to remember the five types of wound debridement … read more

 

WoundRounds® Launches New Mobile App for Wound Management

 

Schaumburg, Illinois (For Release Aug, 29, 2016) –WoundRounds®, the leading wound management solution, has announced their comprehensive wound documentation system is now available as a mobile app. The mobile app is available for WoundRounds clients on the Apple App Store.

 

“Adoption of mobile devices and applications has accelerated in recent years,” says Mike Diamond, CEO of Telemedicine Solutions, makers of WoundRounds. “The WoundRounds mobile app allows healthcare facilities to expand use of the WoundRounds solution to Apple mobile devices, leading to enhanced clinical outcomes and staff efficiencies.”

 

Data security is a growing concern for healthcare workers’ mobile devices, in light of a recent health system’s fines for HIPAA violations resulting from the theft of a staff member’s mobile phone. Diamond states, “The WoundRounds app works with the facility’s mobile device management (MDM) tools and meets strict security requirements to safeguard protected health information … read more

Study to Explore the Impact of Simulating Extreme Obesity on Health Care Professionals ….

Extremely obese patients pose significant challenges for those who strive to provide care. The prevalence and consequences of weight bias and stigma in health care have been well documented, but research on how to reduce weight bias and stigma is limited. To assess the impact of simulating obesity on the attitudes and perceptions of health professionals toward extreme obesity, a qualitative study involving 6 registered nurses and 1 registered physiotherapist was conducted between November 2015 and May 2016.

 

Health professionals who had regular contact with persons with obesity were recruited through poster advertisement in 1 hospital and 2 universities. Participants completed a demographic survey that included their physical measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference). They then wore a suit simulating the shape and size of a person with extreme obesity for approximately 2 hours and engaged in activities such as taking public transport or visiting a café. Audiotaped, semistructured interviews were conducted before and after the suit exercise and transcribed verbatim for conventional content analysis that identified 3 main categories: 1) insights into the physical challenges facing people with extreme obesity; 2) awareness of social consequences for people with extreme obesity; and 3) changes in participants’ attitudes toward people with extreme obesity. Following the exercise, personal attitudes were found to be less judgmental and more empathetic. Using a simulation suit may increase awareness among health professionals regarding issues facing persons with obesity and may be a positive influence on diffusing weight stigma and bias in health care settings, particularly in the area of wound prevention … read more

DermaStream CST for Active Wound Management

Israel21C is reporting that EnzySurge out of Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel is expecting to begin FDA approval process for the complete DermaStream CST system. The wound healing device is designed to be placed over a wound to provide continuous cleaning and washing away of debris and extravasated fluid. Although the device itself received FDA clearance, the bio-active chemical solution that it is supposed to work with it has yet to get a green light … read more

Technology for Improved Wound Management

How can your organization improve wound outcomes while decreasing costs? Learn how AMG Long Term Acute Care Specialty Hospital is using technology to achieve better wound management with fewer resources. Jennifer Wallace RN, BSN, the CEO of AMG Greenwood, presents strategies to improve wound management.