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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Fish Skin for Human Wounds: Iceland’s Pioneering Treatment

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

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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Smart bandage uses nanosensors to track how a wound is healing

smart bandage

Bandages are intended to keep a dressing secure and clean in order to reduce healing time and infection rate. However, they may be about to get a new use-case, courtesy of a project from the United Kingdom’s Swansea University Institute of Life Science.

What researchers there have been working on is a new smart bandage capable of tracking how a wound is healing and sending that data back to doctors, via 5G technology. To do this it would employ tiny “nanosensors” able to fit comfortably within the fabric of regular bandages. (more…)

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Atrium Medical Center division earns award for clinical excellence

atrium wound care division

MIDDLETOWNThe Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Services at Atrium Medical Center recently was recognized with a national award for clinical excellence.

The Center of Distinction Award was presented by Healogics, the nation’s leading and largest wound care management company. The center was also honored with the Healogics President’s Circle Award.

The awards recognize outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, including patient satisfaction higher than 92 percent, and a wound healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 31 median days. (more…)

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Smart bandages which tell doctor how wound is healing to begin trials

smart bandages

Smart bandages which can detect how well a wound is healing and send a progress report to the doctor will be trialled within the next year, scientists have said. The dressings are fitted with tiny sensors which can pick up blood clotting, or spot infections, and wirelessly send data back to a clinician. Swansea University, which is hoping to trial the bandages within 12 months, said the new technology could offer a personalised approach to medicine.

Currently patients with wounds are advised to return to the doctor in a certain amount of time. But each case may need a longer time to heal, or may have become infected before the visit. (more…)

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Educational Webinars

Healing Wounds with Collagen: Knowing the Difference Makes All the Difference

Healing Wounds with Collagen: Knowing the Difference Makes All the Difference

This 30-minute presentation features learning opportunities that will provide in-depth instruction and demonstration in wound care treatments. After this webinar, the learner will be able to:

  • The Indications and Contraindications for Collagen
  • What a Wound Wants and Needs; and Why
  • Considerations of Collagen in Treating & Healing Wounds

Innovations in Wound Care: The role of wound cleansing in the management of wounds

Skin Damage Associated with Moisture and Pressure

This 30-minute presentation features learning opportunities that will provide in-depth instruction and demonstration in wound care treatments. After this webinar, the learner will be able to:

  • Identify the role of proper wound cleansing
  • Discuss how to select and use non-toxic wound cleansers
  • Describe advantages of collagen for managing a chronic wound

Skin Damage Associated with Moisture and Pressure

Skin Damage Associated with Moisture and PressureTips for how to differentiate and goals for protection and management. At the end of the webinar you will be able to:

  • Identify how wounds are classified according to wound depth and etiology
  • Describe the etiology of pressure injury and incontinence-associated skin damage (IAD)
  • Understand evidenced-based protocols of care for prevention and management of IAD and pressure injuries
  • Recognize and describe NPUAP-EPUAP Pressure Injury Classification System
  • Understand appropriate ConvaTec products that can be used for prevention and treatment of IAD and pressure injuries

Winning the battle of skin tears in an aging population

CFO/CNO Partnership for Workforce Management Outcomes: Benefits of Acuity-based Staffing

"Skin tears" may sound like a relatively minor event, but in reality, these injuries can have a significant impact on the quality of patients' lives in the form of pain, infection, and limited mobility.

The incidence of skin tears has been reported to be as high as 1.5 million annually, and with an aging population, this number is likely to go higher.

In this webinar, experts will explain how nurses can use an evidence-based approach -- including following practice guidelines to assess the wound and select the proper dressing -- for managing skin tears and minimizing their negative effects.

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