Wet to Dry

By: Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOCN, WCC, CWCMS, DWC

In the modern world of wound care, there are many treatment options. Surprisingly though, we are still seeing orders for those dreaded wet-to-dry dressings. Using a wet-to-dry dressing involves placing moist saline gauze onto the wound bed, then allowing it to dry and adhere to the tissue in the wound bed. Once the gauze is dry, the clinician removes the gauze, with force often required. This has to be repeated every 4 to 6 hours. Wet-to-dry dressings are a nonselective debridement method that harms good tissue as well as removes necrotic tissue. It keeps the wound bed at a cool temperature and it at risk for bacterial invasion, as bacteria can penetrate up to 64 layers of gauze! It’s one of the most painful procedures for our patients, and this was one treatment that as a nurse I never wanted to do. In fact, I have heard of nurses who would remoisten the gauze before removal to make the treatment more bearable for patients.

Are you seeing a lot of these dressing still used in current practice? What types of settings are they still being used in consistently? How are you dealing with the prescribing clinicians who continue to order this treatment even though it’s considered a substandard practice for wound care?

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DISCLAIMER: All clinical recommendations are intended to assist with determining the appropriate wound therapy for the patient. Responsibility for final decisions and actions related to care of specific patients shall remain the obligation of the institution, its staff, and the patients’ attending physicians. Nothing in this information shall be deemed to constitute the providing of medical care or the diagnosis of any medical condition. Individuals should contact their healthcare providers for medical-related information.

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Wound Healing Improves With New Bioactive Peptide Combo

bioactive peptide

By combining bioactive peptides, researchers have successfully stimulated wound healing in an in vitro and in vivo study. The studies, published in PLoS ONE, show that the combination of two peptides stimulates growth of blood vessels and promotes tissue re-growth of tissue. Further research into these peptides could potentially lead to new therapies for chronic and acute wounds.

The researchers evaluated a newly-created peptide, UN3, in pre-clinical models with the goal of simulating impaired wound healing as in patients suffering from peripheral vascular diseases or uncontrolled diabetes. They discovered that the peptide increased the development of blood vessel walls by 50%, with an 250% increase in blood vessel growth, and a 300% increase in cell migration in response to the injury. (more…)

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Advertise

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The new and improved WoundCareAdvisor.com is ready!  Consider adding our unique educational web destination as a budget-friendly way to interact with an audience of over 65,000 wound care professionals every month without breaking the bank!

WoundCareAdvisor.com is the perfect environment to promote your products and/or services. Wound Care Advisor provides vital insight from authoritative experts that empower healthcare providers treating wounds every day through collaborative, practical, how-to peer-reviewed editorial and trusted resources. The website’s content offers something for everyone. (more…)

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Author Guidelines

Wound Care Advisor, is dedicated to delivering succinct insights and information that multidisciplinary wound team members can immediately apply in their practice and use to advance their professional growth. If you’re considering writing for us, please use these guidelines to help choose an appropriate topic and learn how to prepare and submit your manuscript. Following these guidelines will increase the chance that we’ll accept your manuscript for publication

Wound Car Advisor Journal CoverAbout the journal

Wound Care Advisor serves as a practical resource for multidisciplinary skin and would care specialists. The journal provides news, clinical information, and insights from authoritative experts to enhance skin and wound care management. Wound Care Advisor is written by skin and wound care experts and presented in a reader-friendly electronic format. Clinical content is peer reviewed. It also serves as a resource for professional development and career management.

The journal is sent to Certificants of the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy and other healthcare professionals, who are also dedicated to improving skin and wound care.

Editorial profile

Each issue of Wound Care Advisor offers compelling feature articles on clinical and professional topics, plus regular departments. We publish articles that present clinical tips and techniques, discuss new or innovative treatments, provide information on technology related to wound care, review medical conditions that affect wound healing such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, address important professional and career issues, and other topics of interest to wound care specialists.

We accept submissions for these departments:

Best Practices, which includes case studies, clinical tips from wound care specialists, and other resources for clinical practice

Business Consult, which is designed to help wound care specialist manage their careers and stay current in relevant healthcare issues that affect skin and wound care.

We also welcome case studies. Please use the WCA Case Study Template as a guide

Before you submit an article…

Please send a brief email query to [email protected]. In the email, state 1) the topic of your proposed article, 2) briefly describe what the article will include, 3) provide a short summary of your background, and 4) explain why you’re qualified to write on this topic. We will respond whether or not we are interested in the article you have proposed.

Tips on writing for Wound Care Advisor

Our journal is written in simple, concise language. The tone is informal, and articles are short to medium in length (about 600 words for departments and 1200 words for feature articles). When writing the manuscript, follow these guidelines:

  • Wound Care Advisor is a clinical practice journal, so keep your information practical. Give examples that readers will relate to.
  • Although our tone is informal, the content of your article must be evidence-based, including key research findings, clinical practice guidelines and relevant standards as applicable.
  • Address readers directly, as if you’re speaking to them. Here are some examples:”As a wound care specialist, you’re probably familiar with …..””After removing the dressing, measure the wound….”
  • Use active—not passive—verbs. Active verbs engage the reader and make the writing more interesting.Sentence with a passive verb: Wound edges should be assessed for undermining.Sentence with active verb (preferred): Assess the wound edges for undermining.
  • Don’t use acronyms or abbreviations, except those you’re sure every reader is familiar with (such as “I.V.”). Instead, spell out the full term.
  • When mentioning a specific drug, give the drug’s generic name first, followed by the brand name in parentheses (if relevant).
  • Consider using boxed copy (a sidebar) for points you’d like to emphasize, clarify, or elaborate on. Also consider putting appropriate information in tables (in MS Word format). DO NOT USE MS Word’s “Insert text box” feature for sidebars. Instead, label the sidebar appropriately and put it at the end of your manuscript, after the article itself.
  • Wound Care Advisor is a digital journal, a format that encourages reader interaction. If possible, please include in your manuscript at least two links to websites, videos, or other electronic resources that would be helpful to readers.
  • Do not cite references within the text. List them in alphabetical order. References must be from professionally reliable sources and should be no more than 5 years old.

For reference style, use the American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (10th ed). If you don’t have access to this book, include at least the following information for each reference you cite:

For a book: author(s), book title, edition (if appropriate), place of publication, publisher, and publication date

For a print journal article: author(s); article title; journal name; year, volume; inclusive page numbers

For online references: URL (web address) and the date you accessed the website.

About tables, photos, and illustrations

We encourage you to submit tables, photographs, and illustrations for your article (although we can’t guarantee we’ll publish them).

  • Submit them in a separate electronic file. Identify the source of each table, photo, or illustration and include a brief caption or label (e.g., “Illustration #1: Preventing complications from diabetes. From American Diabetic Association, 2006″). In the body of your article, indicate where the photo or illustration should be placed (e.g., “Insert Illustration #1 here.”) If you believe specific items in the photo or illustration should be identified, tell us this in a note. (Be aware that any person whose image is shown in a photograph must sign a consent form that gives us permission to publish it.)
  • Do not embed tables, figures, or images in the same file as the body of your article. Also, do not submit any text in a box or otherwise put rules around it, above, or below it. Instead, label this copy as a sidebar and submit it in a separate word file or at the end of the main article.
  • Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for material with a copyright. That includes figures, tables, and illustrations from other journals. It’s best to obtain permission before you submit the article and include documentation that you’ve received permission and any specific credit line that must be printed with the image. However, in cases where you must pay to use an image, note in the submission that you will obtain permission if the article is accepted for publication.

Important cautions

The article must be your own original work. Do not submit material taken verbatim from a published source.

How to submit your article

Submit your manuscript electronically as an MS Word file. Follow these guidelines:

  • At the top of the first page of the document, place the article title, your initials (not yourname), and the date.
  • DO NOT include extra hard returns between lines or paragraphs, extra spaces between words, or any special coding.
  • Send a separate cover letter that includes your name; credentials; position; address; home, cell, and work telephone numbers; email address; and your employer’s name, city, and state.
  • Email the article and any other attachments to [email protected] and [email protected].

What happens to your manuscript after submittal?

  • You will receive an email confirming receipt.
  • If your manuscript contains clinical information and we believe it has publication potential, we will send it out for blind peer review (neither you nor the reviewers will know who wrote the article). All manuscripts also receive an internal editorial review. After the review, we’ll let you know whether the manuscript has been accepted, accepted pending revisions, or declined.
  • If we accept your manuscript for publication, we’ll ask you to sign an agreement that gives HealthCom Media (publisher of Wound Care Advisor) the rights to your article so that it can be published. Each author must sign a separate agreement.
  • Your article will go through our in-house editorial process, where professional editors ensure consistency with our editorial style. You will have a chance to review the edited version before it’s published.
  • We will email you if we decide not to publish your manuscript.

Thank you for considering publishing in Wound Care Advisor, the official journal of the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy, the official. If you have any questions, please email: Cynthia Saver, RN, MS, at [email protected] or [email protected].

Copyright © 2017, HealthCom Media. All rights reserved.

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Editorial Advisory Board

Editor-in-Chief

Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS
Co-Founder
Wound Care Education Institute
Lake Geneva, IL

Editorial Advisory Board

Nenette L. Brown, RN, PHN, MSN/FNP, WCC
Wound Care Program Coordinator
Sheriff’s Medical Services Division
San Diego, CA

Debra Clair, PhD, APN, RN, WOCN, WCC, DWC
Wound Care Provider
Alliance Community Hospital
Alliance, OH

Kulbir Dhillon, NP, WCC
Wound Care Specialist
Skilled Wound Care
Sacramento, CA

Fred Berg
Vice President, Marketing/Business Development
National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy
St. Joseph, MI

Cindy Broadus, RN, BSHA, LNHA, CLNC,
CLNI, CHCRM, WCC, DWC, OMS

Executive Director
National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy
St. Joseph, MI

Gail Hebert, MSN, RN, CWCN, WCC, DWC, OMS
Clincal instructor
Wound Care Education Institute
Plainfield, IL

Joy Hooper, BSN, RN, CWOCN, OMS, WCC
Owner and manager of MedicalCraft, LLC
Tifton, GA

Catherine Jackson RN, MSN, WCC
Clinical Nurse Manager
Inpatient and Outpatient Wound Care
MacNeal Hospital
Berwyn, IL

Jeffrey Jensen DPM, FACFAS
Dean & Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine
Miami Shores, FL

Rosalyn S. Jordan, RN, BSN, MSc, CWOCN, WCC
Director of Clinical Education
RecoverCare, L.L.C.
Louisville, KY

Jeff Kingery
Vice President of Professional Development
RestorixHealth
Tarrytown, NY

Jeri Lundgren, RN, BSN, PHN, CWS, CWCN
Vice President of Clinical Consulting
Joerns
Charlotte, NC

Nancy Morgan, RN BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS
Co-Founder, Wound Care Education Institute
Plainfield, IL

Steve Norton, CDT, CLT-LANA
Co-founder, Lymphedema & Wound Care Education, LLC
President, Lymphedema Products, LLC
Matawan, NJ

Lu Ann Reed, RN, MSN, CRRN, RNC, LNHA, WCC
Adjunct Clinical Instructor
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH

Bill Richlen, PT, WCC, CWS, DWC
Owner
Infinitus, LLC
Chippewa Falls, WI

Cheryl Robillard,PT WCC, CLT
Clinical Specialist
Aegis Therapies
Milwaukee, WI

Stanley A Rynkiewicz III, RN, MSN, WCC, DWC, CCS
Administrator
Deer Meadows Home Health and Support Services LLC
BHP Services
Philadelphia, PA

Donald A. Wollheim, MD, WCC, DWC, FAPWCA
Owner and Clinician, IMPLEXUS Wound Care Service, LLC
Watertown, WI
Instructor for Wound Care Education Institute
Plainfield, IL

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Dealing with Difficult Times

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You and the flu…

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Wounds that won’t heal can be devastating

diabetic foot ulcer

Carol Emanuele beat cancer. But for the last two years, the Philadelphia woman has been fighting her toughest battle yet. She has an open wound on the bottom of her foot that leaves her unable to walk and prone to deadly infection.

In an effort to treat her diabetic wound, doctors at a clinic in Northeast Philadelphia have prescribed a dizzying array of treatments. Freeze-dried placenta. Penis foreskin cells. High doses of pressurized oxygen. And those are just a few of the treatment options patients face.

“I do everything, but nothing seems to work,” said Emanuele, 59, who survived stage 4 melanoma in her 30s. “I beat cancer, but this is worse.” (more…)

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Business Consult

The power of the positive

Being positive in a negative situation is not naïve. It’s leadership. — Ralph S. Marston, Jr., au…
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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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Lymphedema

Clinical Notes

Mild compression diabetic socks safe and effective for lower extremity edema Diabetic socks with mi…

Clinical Notes

Diabetes carries high economic burden According to a study published in Diabetes Care, the economic…

Clinical Notes

Study finds less-invasive method for identifying osteomyelitis is effective Researchers have found t…

Stand up to bullies

By: Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS At some point, most of us have encountered a bully—…

Clinician Resources

  Here are resources that can help you in your busy clinical practice by giving you informatio…

Unna Boot

An Unna boot is a special dressing of inelastic gauze impregnated with zinc, glycerin, or calamine t…

Clinical Notes

Diabetes ‘ABC’ goals improve, but work remains The number of people with diabetes who are meeting th…

Clinical Notes

New wound-swabbing technique detects more bacteria The new Essen Rotary swabbing technique takes a f…

Clinical Notes

2012 guideline for diabetic foot infections released Foot infections in patients with diabetes usual…

Learning to love your job

By Joan C. Borgatti, MEd, RN The alarm clock goes off too early, and you jump-start the day with a c…
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Assessment

Tool Kits

Click each title to download the tool kit PDF. Alginate Dressing Ankle Brachial Index Diabetes fo…

No more skin tears

Imagine watching your skin tear, bleed, and turn purple. Imagine, too, the pain and disfigurement yo…

Cutaneous candidiasis

By Nancy Morgan, RN, BSN, MBA, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS Each issue, Apple Bites brings you a tool you c…
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