March, 2005

Dear Readers,

With the 18th Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and the 15th Annual Medical Research Forum on Wound Repair scheduled for April 21–24 in San Diego, we are pleased to publish the 31 abstracts of clinical and research studies that were selected for oral presentation at the meeting. Also included in this issue is a partial listing of the exhibiting commercial companies and summaries of the products and services they provide.

In the article, An holistic approach to wound pain in patients with chronic wounds, Dr. Patricia Price discusses the importance of recognizing and addressing the types of chronic wound pain that have a negative impact on patient quality of life. Much focus has been on pain associated with dressing changes caused by adherence of the primary dressing to the wound itself or by adhesive bandages adhering to and damaging the surrounding skin. Other areas addressed include pain of debridement or pain experienced when the wound is not being manipulated (persistent pain). It is important to attempt to determine the cause of pain, especially since infection and inflammation may be involved. The various approaches for ameliorating pain are discussed, and the author emphasizes the importance for the clinician to move beyond “…considering the wound to considering the person.”

Aytac et al. (Skin necrosis caused by prilocaine: a case report) present an unusual case of full-thickness skin necrosis following the use of prilocaine for local infiltrative anesthesia. The necrosis became apparent 3 days postoperatively and required wide debridement and flap closure. The authors discuss the findings and possible causes.

Based upon the effects of L-carnitine and its reported promotion of skin flap survival, Koybasi and Yilmaz (The effect of L-carnitine on wound healing by secondary intention in an animal model) conducted an experimental study of its effect on healing of excisions in rats and report their findings here. While they saw a trend toward improved healing in the carnitine-treated group, there was not a statistically significant improvement.

In Diagnostic Dilemmas, Dasgeb et al. report a case of a patient presenting with a warty lesion on the abdomen. The authors describe its appearance and histopathology, which led to the diagnosis of well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The condition and its treatment options are discussed. The tumor was surgically removed, and the patient will be followed for the development of any new lesions.