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Innovative ‘Smart Scar-Care’ pad to create a ‘scar-less’ world

Wound Care Advisor
smart scar care pad by professor cecillia litsang

An innovative “Smart Scar-Care” pad which serves the dual functions of reinforcing pressure and occlusion has been designed by researchers to treat hypertrophic scars from burns, surgeries and trauma.

Compared with the traditional pressure pads and silicone gel sheets, “Smart Scar-Care” pad has the advantages of both.

It showed good performance in reducing pigmentation and vascularity, improving elasticity and preventing dehydration in a clinical trial. It is more durable and user-friendly compared with the traditional pad (polyethylene foam) as reported by the patients. This innovative design has won the Grand Award and Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury at the 45th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, 2017. (more…)

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Necrotizing Fasciitis: Pearls & Pitfalls

Wound Care Advisor
thigh fluid gas ct scan

A 39-year-old woman presents to the ED with leg pain and fever. She initially noted redness and pain above her knee 2 weeks ago and was evaluated at an outside hospital. She completed a 10-day course of oral antibiotics for cellulitis. Over the last two days, she has had progressive leg swelling of her entire right thigh. The pain is now so severe that she is having difficulty walking. Her past medical history is negative for diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease, or alcohol and IV drug use.

On exam, she is febrile to 102.7 F, heart rate is 96 bpm, and blood pressure is 112/65. She has a 12 cm area of faint erythema on her right thigh and tenderness to palpation of her entire right leg with diffuse edema. There is no ecchymosis or bullae formation. (more…)

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Wound healing in diabetic patients improved by Light-inducible antimiRs

Wound Care Advisor

MicroRNAs are interesting target structures for new therapeutic agents. They can be blocked through synthetic antimiRs. However, to date it was not possible to use these only locally. Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have now successfully achieved this in the treatment of impaired wound healing with the help of light-inducible antimiRs.

MicroRNAs are small gene fragments which bond onto target structures in cells and in this way prevent certain proteins from forming. As they play a key role in the occurrence and manifestation of various diseases, researchers have developed what are known as antimiRs, which block microRNA function. The disadvantage of this approach is, however, that the blockade can lead to side effects throughout the entire body since microRNAs can perform different functions in various organs. Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have now solved this problem. (more…)

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Fish Skin for Human Wounds: Iceland’s Pioneering Treatment

Wound Care Advisor
Fish Skin for Human Wounds

The FDA-approved skin substitute reduces inflammation and transforms chronic wounds into acute injuries.

Six hours north of Reykjavik, along a narrow road tracing windswept fjords, is the Icelandic town of Isafjordur, home of 3,000 people and the midnight sun. On a blustery May afternoon, snow still fills the couloirs that loom over the docks, where the Pall Palsson, a 583-ton trawler, has just returned from a three-day trip. Below the rust-spotted deck, neat boxes are packed with freshly caught fish and ice. “If you take all the skins from that trawler,” says Fertram Sigurjonsson, the chairman and chief executive officer of Kerecis Ltd., gesturing over the catch, “we would be able to treat one in five wounds in the world.” (more…)

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Wound-healing molecule found in parasitic worm could help prevent amputations

Wound Care Advisor
dr smout wound healing molecule parasitic worm

A substance found in parasitic worms’ spit might help prevent thousands of amputations a year, scientists in north Queensland have said. James Cook University researchers in Cairns are harnessing the molecule produced by a Thai liver parasite that can “supercharge” the healing of wounds.

Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine parasitologist Michael Smout said non-healing wounds were of particular concern for diabetics and smokers. Dr Smout said the parasite used the molecule to keep its host healthy and prolong its own life. “It’ll live for a decade or two, and it’s munching around your liver, and zipping up the wounds as it goes,” he said. (more…)

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Wound care technology invented at S&T hits marketplace

Wound Care Advisor
Wound care technology invented at S&T

A glass-based wound care product that emerged from research by a doctoral student at Missouri University of Science and Technology has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for human use and is now available on the commercial market.

Steve Jung laid the groundwork for the Mirragen Advanced Wound Matrix while earning a master’s degree in ceramic engineering and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Missouri S&T. Jung is now chief technology officer at Mo-Sci Corp., a Rolla specialty glass manufacturer that continued the product’s development in collaboration with ETS Wound Care, also of Rolla. (more…)

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Control your claims: Pressure ulcer/wound care management

Wound Care Advisor
Diabetic Foot Ulcers

One of many dreaded tags from a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Survey is F-Tag 314 — Pressure ulcers.

CMS writes, “Each resident must receive and the facility must provide the necessary care and services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being, in accordance with the comprehensive assessment and plan of care.” (more…)

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Covenant Health Wound Care Experts Earn National, Regional Recognition

Wound Care Advisor
Covenant Health

LUBBOCK, TX (NEWS RELEASE) – The Covenant Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine has been honored as a Wound Care Center® of the Year by Healogics, Inc., the nation’s leading and largest wound care management company. The center also was awarded Center of Distinction and the President’s Circle Award.

The center has achieved patient satisfaction rates higher than 92 percent, a healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 31 median days and healed almost 90 percent of its patients in less than 14 weeks. Out of the 630 Centers eligible in 2016, only seven centers across the country received this prestigious award. Covenant’s center was awarded as Center of the Year for the southwest region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico. (more…)

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Morrison Community Hospital offers specialized Wound Care

Wound Care Advisor
Morrison Community Hospital Wound Care

Wound care is a specialized form of treatment that focuses on helping patients recover from all types of wounds, both acute and chronic (ongoing).  The most common types of wounds are those that result from acute injuries, surgical procedures, diabetes, and pressure or bed sores.  Wounds can also result from radiation procedures that are part of a treatment plan for cancer, and they can be a result of vascular disorders. (more…)

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Best Practices

A case of missed care

By Lydia A. Meyers RN, MSN, CWCN Missed care, a relatively new concept in the medical community, …

“Ouch! That hurts!”

By Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS Wound pain can have a profound effect on a person’s…
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Apple Bites

Apple Bites

Each month, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice.

  1. Ostomy documentation tips

    General characteristics Document if the diversion is an intestinal or urinary ostomy, whether it’s temporary or permanent, and the location— abdominal quadrant, skin fold, umbilicus. (See Descriptor reference.) Describe the type of ostomy: • colostomy (colon)—sigmoid or descending colostomy, transverse colostomy, loop colostomy, ascending colostomy • ileostomy (small bowel)—ileoanal reservoir (J-pouch), continent ileostomy (Kock pouch) •… Read more…

  2. Assessing footwear in patients with diabetes

    Inappropriate footwear is the most common source of trauma in patients with diabetes. Frequent and proper assessment of appropriate footwear is essential for protecting the diabetic foot from ulceration. Here is a step-by-step process for evaluating footwear. Be sure to evaluate footwear with the patient walking, standing, and sitting. Observe wear patterns for areas of high pressure or abnormalities • Check the inside of… Read more…

  3. Causes, prevention, and treatment of epibole

    As full-thickness wounds heal, they begin to fill in from the bottom upward with granulation tissue. At the same time, wound edges contract and pull together, with movement of epithelial tissue toward the center of the wound (contraction). These epithelial cells, arising from either the wound margins or residual dermal epithelial appendages within the wound bed, begin to migrate in leapfrog or train fashion across the… Read more…

  4. How to apply silver nitrate

    Topical application of silver nitrate is often used in wound care to help remove and debride hypergranulation tissue or calloused rolled edges in wounds or ulcerations. It’s also an effective agent to cauterize bleeding in wounds. Silver nitrate is a highly caustic material, so it must be used with caution to prevent damage to healthy tissues. Application method Silver nitrate applicators are firm… Read more…

  5. Medications and wound healing

    Each issue, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Here are examples of medications that can affect wound healing. Assessment and care planning for wound healing should include a thorough review of the individual’s current medications to identify those that may affect healing outcomes. Clinicians must then weigh the… Read more…

  6. Cutaneous candidiasis

    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 cutaneous candi­diasis. Cutaneous candidiasis is an infection of the skin caused by the yeast Candida albicans or other Candida species. Here’s a snapshot of this condition.… Read more…

  7. Comprehensive skin assessment

    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… Read more…

  8. Moldable ostomy barrier rings and strips

    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 a brief overview on moldable, bendable, and stretchable adhesive rings and strips used to improve the seal around a stoma. Benefits Adhesive rings and strips can be an alternative… Read more…

  9. Medical gauze 101

    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. Medical gauze, a bleached white cloth or fabric used in bandages, dressings, and surgical sponges, is the most widely used wound care dressing. Commonly known as “4×4s,” gauze is made… Read more…

  10. Linear wound measurement basics

    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. Measurement of wounds is an important component of wound assessment and provides baseline measurements, enables monitoring of healing rates, and helps distinguish among wounds that are static, deteriorating, or improving.… Read more…

  11. What you need to know about transparent film dressings

    transparent film dressingsBy Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each issue, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Transparent film dressings are thin sheets of transparent polyurethane (polymer) coated with an adhesive. These dressings are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. Description Transparent film dressings provide… Read more…

  12. Understanding the crusting procedure

    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. The crusting procedure produces a dry surface and absorbs moisture from broken skin through an artificial scab that’s created by using skin barrier powder (stoma powder) and liquid polymer skin… Read more…

  13. How to assess wound exudate

    how to assess wound exudateBy Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each issue, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Exudate (drainage), a liquid produced by the body in response to tissue damage, is present in wounds as they heal. It consists of fluid that has leaked out of blood… Read more…

  14. How to apply a spiral wrap

    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. Description The spiral wrap is a technique used for applying compression bandaging. Procedure Here’s how to apply a spiral wrap to the lower leg. Please note that commercial compression wraps… Read more…

  15. What you need to know about hydrogel dressings

    hydrogel dressingsBy Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each issue, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Description Hydrated polymer (hydrogel) dressings, originally developed in the 1950s, contain 90% water in a gel base, which helps regulate fluid exchange from the wound surface. Hydrogel dressing are usually… Read more…

  16. What you need to know about collagen wound dressings

    wound collagen dressingBy Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Description Collagen, the protein that gives the skin its tensile strength, plays a key role in each phase of wound healing. It attracts cells, such as fibroblasts and keratinocytes, to the wound, which encourages debridement, angiogenesis, and reepithelialization. In addition, collagen provides a natural scaffold… Read more…

  17. What you need to know about xerosis in patients with diabetic feet

    By Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each month, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Description Xerosis, an abnormal dryness of the skin, is one of the most common skin conditions among patients with type 2 diabetes. While assessing for predictors of foot lesions in… Read more…

  18. What you need to know about hydrocolloid dressings

    hydrocolloid dressing example1By Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each month, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Description A hydrocolloid dressing is a wafer type of dressing that contains gel-forming agents in an adhesive compound laminated onto a flexible, water-resistant outer layer. Some formulations contain an alginate… Read more…

  19. Unna Boot

    An Unna boot is a special dressing of inelastic gauze impregnated with zinc, glycerin, or calamine that becomes rigid when it dries. It is used for managing venous leg ulcers and lymphedema in patients who are ambulatory. When the patient walks, the rigid dressing restricts outward movement of the calf muscle, which directs the contraction… Read more…

  20. How to do a Semmes Weinstein monofilament exam

    By Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each month, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Description According to the American Diabetes Association, all patients with diabetes should be screened for loss of protective sensation in their feet (peripheral neuropathy) when they are diagnosed and at… Read more…

  21. Sample procedure for nonsterile dressing change

    By Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each month, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Description • Nonsterile dressings protect open wounds from contamination and absorb drainage. • Clean aseptic technique should be used to change nonsterile dressings. • In the event of multiple wounds,… Read more…

  22. Foam dressing

    By Nancy Morgan, MBA, BSN, RN, WOC, WCC, CWCMS, DWC Each month, Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Description •    Semipermeable polyurethane foam dressing •    Nonadherent and nonlinting •    Hydrophobic or waterproof outer layer •    Provides moist wound environment •    Permeable to water vapor but blocks entry of… Read more…

  23. Calcium alginate

    By Nancy Morgan, MBA, BSN, RN, WOC, WCC, CWCMS, DWC Each month Apple Bites brings you a tool you can apply in your daily practice. Description Dressing with calcium and sodium fibers made from seaweed Spun into rope or flat dressing form Actions Transforms into a moist gel consistency when it comes into contact with… Read more…

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