2015 Journal: July – Aug Vol. 4 No. 4

By Erin Fazzari, MPT, CLT, CWS, DWC Have you seen legs like these in your practice? These legs show lymphedema and chronic wounds before treatment (left image) and after treatment (right image) with complex decongestive therapy (CDT)—the gold standard of lymphedema care. The patient benefited from multidisciplinary collaboration between wound care and lymphedema therapists.

By Todd Zortman, RN, WCC, and James Malec, PhD Pressure ulcers are a chronic healthcare burden for both patients and pro­viders. Over 2.5 million patients in the United States are affected annually by pressure ulcers, with nearly 60,000 of those cases directly resulting in death. From a provider’s perspective, the cost of individual care ranges anywhere from $500 to $70,000…

By Janet Wolfson, PT, CWS, CLT-LANA After landing my dream job as the wound care coordinator at an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), I found myself trying to determine how much healing could be achieved for our more challenging patients, given the constraints of reimbursement and what can be done in the typical 10 to 14 days of a patient stay.…

Leg revascularization fails to improve outcomes in nursing home patients Lower-extremity revascularization often fails to improve outcomes in nursing home patients, according to an article in JAMA Internal Medicine. “Functional outcomes after lower extremity revascularization in nursing home residents: A national cohort study” found that few patients are alive and ambulatory a year after surgery, and those who are alive…

Check out these resources for your practice. Be a nutrition champion One in three patients enters a hospital malnourished. Fight malnutrition by viewing six short videos from the Alliance to Advance Patient Nutrition, including “Rapidly Implement Nutrition Interventions” and “Recognize and Diagnose All Patients at Risk of Malnutrition.” The videos show how to collaborate with the care team to become…

By Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each issue, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Here’s an overview of performing a comprehensive skin assessment. In the healthcare setting, a comprehensive skin assessment is a process in which the entire skin of a patient is examined for abnormalities. It requires looking…

By Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS Pressure ulcers have been a health concern for a long time—since at least 5,000 years ago, when evidence of a pressure ulcer was found on an ancient Egyptian mummy. But not until 1975 did the staging classification system we’re familiar with begin. This system was designed to make things easier by…

By Jeri Lundgren, BSN, RN, PHN, CWS, CWCN Many factors can contribute to the formation of a pressure ulcer, but it’s rare that one develops in an active, mobile patient. As the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel 2014 guidelines state, “Pressure ulcers cannot form without loading, or pressure on the tissue. Extended periods of lying or sitting on a particular…

By Sharon Morrison, MAT, RN Michael had diabetes and a history of elevated blood glucose levels. A long-time drinker, he seemed to have no interest in giving up the habit. I met him while working as a diabetes nurse educator for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, traveling from shelter to shelter to help persons with diabetes set…

By Roxana Reyna, BSN, RNC-NIC, WCC, CWOCN As wound care clinicians, we are trained—and expected—to help heal wounds in patients of any age and to achieve positive outcomes. Basic wound-healing principles apply to all patients, whatever their age or size. The specific anatomy and physiology of vulnerable pediatric patients, however, requires detailed wound care. Unfortunately, little evidence-based research exists to…