Morphology and pathogenetic mechanisms of undermining in pressure ulcers were investigated in cross-sections of lesions over time and classified into 2 patterns. Discharge of liquefied necrosis type (Group 1) is an hourglass-shaped necrosis and undermining that forms after liquefied necrosis discharge and arises in the early stage of pressure ulcer development. External force undermining develops in the middle to late stage and is classified into 2 subtypes: sequential undermining (Group 2a) and newly onset undermining (Group 2b), depending on whether it is discharge type undermining or if it develops prior to the onset of the external force undermining. Undermining formed in 99 cases (17.7%) of 560 recently treated Stage III and IV pressure ulcers. The average healing time for pressure ulcers with discharge undermining (Group 1) was 148.8 days. Average healing time for Group 2a and 2b (sequential and newly onset undermining, respectively) was 311.8 days.

Background: The epidemiology and economic impact of chronic wounds in the United States have been well characterized. However, limited research has focused on acute wounds. This study used nationally representative data to describe the demographic, medical care, and hospital characteristics of injury-related hospitalizations with an acute wound. Methods: Hospital discharge data were derived from the 2002 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. CDC guidelines were used to identify injury-related hospitalizations by International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes. Data included demographics, medical care details, and hospital characteristics. US Census data were used to determine population based rates. Results: Data were collected for 55,795 injury-related hospitalizations with an acute wound, representing an estimated 272,278 such hospitalizations in the United States in 2002 (67.6% men; 61.6% white).

A felon is an abscess in the pulp of any digit and differs from abscesses located in the other parts of the body due to the anatomic compartments of the pulp. A simple infection can become complicated if neglected, mistreated, or immunosuppressed. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used to assist wound healing for almost 40 years. The authors present a case of a felon that was treated with a wound dressing and antibiotherapy for 6 weeks that did not heal, but healed after 6 weeks of treatment with the adjuvant HBOT.

Most endometrial cancer relapses are either pelvic or distant metastases. Implantation of such tumors in a laparotomy wound scar is extremely rare—to the authors’ knowledge this is only the seventh case reported and the first for Taiwan. A 70-year-old woman underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for a type III A endometrial adenocarcinoma, followed by systemic chemotherapy and pelvic external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). Five years later, a tumor implantation in the laparotomy scar was noted because of acute pain in her abdomen. The histopathology of the abdominal wall implants was very similar to that of the primary tumor.