New Approach to Wound Healing Easy on Skin, Tough on Bacteria

wound healing

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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Dragon blood may help wounds heal faster

synthetic peptide heal komodo dragon

A new study has identified a peptide, derived from the Komodo dragon, called VK25, which can be synthesized and used as an antimicrobial peptide to promote wound healing.

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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Meeting the nutritional needs of elderly cancer patients

nutritional needs elderly cancer patients food vegetables apple

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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2018 American Nurse Today Education Guide

Moving ahead with your nursing education

Deciding to continue your education is exciting as well as daunting. You’ll need support from your friends and family, as well as your colleagues and fellow students. But you also can get support from the nursing profession. In this article, you’ll find information about a variety of resources to aid you along this next step in your career.

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Ready, set, go… to school!

With 79.6% of employers now requiring or having a strong preference for nurses with a baccalaureate degree and a growing demand for nurses, there’s no better time to return to school.

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Frontiers of nursing education

edu frontier nursing education table contents laptop cap scrollIn the first quarter of the 21st century, nursing education is an amalgam of traditional classrooms, innovativeeducational tracks, and technology-enhanced training. This new frontier is geared toward the learning and lifestyle needs of students and the changing healthcare environment in which new RNs will care for patients.

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Is an accelerated nursing program right for you?

Are you up for the challenge of an accelerated nursing program? You can earn your degree quickly and be off the races in your career, but these programs require dedication, self-discipline, and an ability to immerse yourself in the learning experience.

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Returning to nursing school? Keys to success

edu retuning nursing school keys success table contents color pencilCongratulations! You have decided to pursue additional nursing education and been accepted at the program of your choice. You’re happy—right? But you also may be feeling a bit anxious, especially if you haven’t been in school for a while. This article offers tips about how to get organized and stay engaged with fellow students and faculty, as well as steps you can take to enhance your computer and writing skills.

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Ready to change specialties?

The opportunities within nursing are practically limitless. You can choose patient care, education, pharmaceutical sales, research…the list goes on and on. That’s part of the challenge. With so many choices, you need to know yourself and what you want as well as understand what will be required to get you to this next stage in your career.

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Lifelong Learning: Is a postmaster’s certificate the right option for you

edu lifelong learning postmasters certificate option table contents scrollPursuing a postmaster’s certificate is a great way to advance your career. As you explore program options, pay particular attention to admission requirements, program length, delivery method, and costs. You’ll want all of these factors to align with your professional goals and personal circumstances.

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Interprofessional education

Imagine the depth of knowledge you would gain by learning along side students in other healthcare disciplines. In education settings that embrace interprofessional education, students learn with, from, and about each other to enable effective communication and improve patient outcomes.

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Can nursing meet the 80/2020 goal?

In 2010, a goal was set to have 80% of nurses with BSNs by 2020. Read this article to find out what kind of progress we’ve made so far.

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Your doctorate and the path to persistence

High attrition rates for doctoral nursing students (reported to be as much as 50%) in the face of an increasing demand for PhD-prepared nursing faculty is a growing concern. So, what’s at the crux of this problem and how do we solve it? When I was a doctoral student, I researched how other doctoral students balanced work, family, and school. The goal was to learn more about the strategies used by these students.

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2017-2018 Education Guide Read More

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About WoundCareAdvisor.com

GOAL

WoundCareAdvisor.com is a unique educational web destination that has been designed to be a trusted, timely and useful resource for healthcare professionals dealing with chronic wounds and ostomy management issues.  Offerings on the side currently include 

  • News
  • Peer-reviewed articles
  • Product information
  • Provider/patient education
  • Practical resources

Information on the site is continuously developed and updated to ensure that we are providing

Resources and information that is

  • Unique to the wound care field
  • Timely
  • Informative
  • Interactive

WoundCareAdvisor.com is also going to be growing!  Future information will include:

Practice Resources

  • Clinical Notes
  • Practice Points
  • How To. . .
  • Interactive Resources
  • Forums

Bookmark this site and check back often!  Contact us at [email protected] with your comments, suggestions or if you would like to be a contributor.

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3 reasons why cornea is the new Glaucoma

Glaucoma

development of glaucomaOphthalmology 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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Flexible Materials Innovations Advances Wound Care

Flexible Materials Innovations Advances Wound Care

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 pass National Wound Care course

Three registered nurses pass National Wound Care course

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

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

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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