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Practical Issues in Wound, Skin and Ostomy Management
Research shows that a skin-graft harvesting system aids chronic wound recovery and reduces care costs by accelerating the healing process.
More than six million cases of chronic wounds cost $20 billion each year in the United States. Diabetic ulcers, pressure sores, surgical site wounds, and traumatic injuries to high-risk patients account for most wounds that won’t heal. (more…)
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Crawford Healthcare, one of the biggest makers of advanced wound-care products in the UK, has won clearance from US regulators for a medical dressing that it says will “save limbs”.
The product, called KerraCel AG, soaks up fluid and bacteria from nasty, oozing wounds and locks it away as a gel. It is also the only dressing of its kind to contain silver at a special concentration to kill all bacteria – even those resistant to antibiotics – that prevent chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers and pressure sores, from healing. (more…)
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Washington, D.C. — In a presentation to the American Chemical Society meeting, Ankit Agarwal, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, described an experimental approach to wound healing that could take advantage of silver’s anti-bacterial properties, while sidestepping the damage silver can cause to cells needed for healing.
Silver is widely used to prevent bacterial contamination in wound dressings, says Agarwal, “but these dressings deliver a very large load of silver, and that can kill a lot of cells in the wound.” (more…)
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One of the most amazing things about the human body is its ability to repair itself. Lacerations, punctures, abrasions all heal with little or no care. Chronic wounds, those that persist day after day, are a small subset of wounds but they compose a troublesome minority. They include, but are not limited to, diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), venous leg ulcers (VLU), and pressure ulcers (colloquially known as bedsores). These represent the body’s failure to fix itself. (more…)
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The new research has identified (see below) a peptide found from the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), called VK25, which appears to be useful as a cationic antimicrobial peptide (CAMP). There is currently considerable interest in antimicrobial peptides in a world where antibiotic effectiveness is in decline. These peptides are potent, broad spectrum antibiotics which demonstrate potential as novel therapeutic agents. (more…)
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Pennsylvania state trooper Matt Uram was talking with his wife at a July Fourth party in 2009 when a misjudged spray of gasoline burst through a nearby bonfire and set him alight. Flames covered the entire right side of his body, and after he fell to the ground to smother them, his wife beat his head with her bare hands to put out his burning hair. It was only on the way to the ER, as the shock and adrenaline began to wear off, that the pain set in. “It was intense,” he says. “If you can imagine what pins and needles feel like, then replace those needles with matches.” (more…)
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Although it is described as “one of society’s greatest achievements,” with the aging population, cancer incidence is expected to accelerate rapidly, as 50% of cancer occurs within this age group.(1)
Nutrition therapy is a crucial component of cancer care. Early and continuous nutrition management is necessary to avoid malnutrition, as this is associated with poor clinical outcomes.(2) Often, the elderly already face chronic comorbid conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease, bone disease and arthritis, further complicating their care.(3) (more…)
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NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — All four sizes of TheraSkin® are now available to nearly 9 million veterans treated by more than 110 VA Medical Centers and 800 Community Based Outpatient Centers (CBOCs) nationwide as a result of the Department of Veterans Affairs updating their Federal Supply Schedule. (more…)
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Ophthalmology is a great specialty partly because procedures, devices and drugs constantly evolve, keeping us learning and giving our patients better care. Ask your colleagues in other specialties, and you’ll find that the pace of change in most other medical fields is not nearly as rapid as in ours.
Over the past few years, this pace of change has been very evident in glaucoma, where minimally invasive procedures have greatly diminished the frequency of trabeculectomy and tube shunt procedures. In this issue of OSN, our cover story focuses on a specialty that’s now moving as quickly as glaucoma. And here are three reasons I believe cornea will continue to be the “next big thing” in eye care: (more…)
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The cutting-edge of wound care is a progressively flexible one, where textiles, foams, and films are applied to wound management technology with the goal of synergistic physiological function. These innately intuitive materials underpin the emerging medical solutions that practitioners and their patients are finding more effective than traditional wound care and closure methods. With an aging population more frequently seeking medical care and a surge in diabetes diagnoses, market analysts predict a continuing rise in demand for advanced wound care management products, fueling an annual industry growth rate of 6.4% over the next five years. (more…)
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Three registered nurses (RN) at Panhandle Home Health have passed the National Wound Care & Ostomy Certification Course & Exam (WCC) as part of Panhandle Home Health’s Wound Care Initiative, started in 2013 with a single WCC-certified RN, Cathy Reifer. In 2015, WISH (Women Investing in Shepherd) awarded their inaugural grant to a regional nonprofit, Panhandle Home Health. This grant of $26,250, along with additional private donations and grants, has allowed thirteen nurses to participate in the intensive, week-long training course. These RNs are prepared to provide specialized consultation and a unique supervisory level of clinical expertise in wound assessment and the specialized care involved for patients. Their training involves differentiation of wound types and the appropriate care; recognizing the effects of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or COPD on wound healing; understanding care products and their implementation; wound-healing techniques; and patient education. (more…)
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