Current Issue

Tomorrow and Beyond, Discovering Giants of Wound Care

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:52:09 -0400

(continued from the June Editorial Message)

Dear Readers,

Throughout the centuries there have been countless remarkable men and women who have earned the title of being a “Giant of Wound Care.” Great stories surround their contributions such as Galen, who was the surgeon to the gladiators in the Roman coliseum. Dominique Jean Larry, one of the surgeons in Napoleon’s army, was the first to devise an ambulance service to remove the injured from the battlefield and establish the need for wound debridement. His contributions were so appr

Polyhexamethylene Biguanide (PHMB): An Addendum to Current Topical Antimicrobials

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:52:09 -0400

Chronic wounds are often complex, difficult to heal, and may persist for months or years due to underlying disease processes or complications within the healing process.
Treating chronic wounds requires a multifaceted approach in order to address the underlying pathophysiology while promoting healing of the wound.^1–4Before a wound can close, the wound bed status needs to be addressed to assist in creating an environment conducive to tissue repair. This may require 1) removal of nonviable tissue, 2) maintenance of a moisture balance, 3) resolution of any bacterial imb

Quantitation of the Postoperative Vascular Response in Four Dorsal Bipedicle Flaps in the Rat

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:52:09 -0400

Poor perfusion and chronic tissue ischemia are common clinical scenarios particularly among older patients. Inciting pathologies ranging from peripheral vascular disease, venous congestion, and diabetes result in a compromised tissue bed with poor wound healing capacity, greater susceptibility to ulceration, and increased rates of infection. Efforts to better understand this ischemic condition have long employed the use of surgical flaps in the rat. In a classic paper, McFarlane et al¹ described a 4-cm x 10-cm cranially based flap designed to produce varying amount of necrosis at

Wound Debridement by Continuous Streaming of Proteolytic Enzyme Solutions: Effects on Experimental Chronic Wound Model in Porcin

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:52:09 -0400

Chronic limb wounds are associated with tissue ischemia and are typical in patients with diabetes. Such wounds can lead to serious infection, gangrene, and limb loss. Chronic wounds are characterized by the presence of devitalized tissue that enhances bacterial growth, reduces host resistance to infection, and inhibits the formation of granulation tissue.^1–3 Debridement of necrotic tissue is therefore, an essential and crucial step in chronic wound management.^4–7 The main approaches to wound debridement are based on surgical, mechanical, enzymatic, or biolo

The Burden of Pressure Ulcers in Spain

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:52:09 -0400

Disclosure: Joan Enric Torra i Bou, Lorena San Miguel, and John Posnett are paid employees of Smith & Nephew.

Today it is well known that pressure ulcers are an important problem for all healthcare systems.^1–3 However, there are still few published studies in the literature aimed at measuring the economic impact of this condition. A portion of these studies are based on general assumptions.⁴
Quantifying the cost of treating pressure ulcers provides information that helps highlight the magnitude of the problem. It also of

July 2007

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:52:09 -0400

Results of Ivivi Technology Demonstrate Acceleration in Pain Relief

Ivivi Technologies, Inc. (Northvale, NJ) recently announced the results of a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. “Effect of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF) on Post-Surgical Pain Reduction for Breast Augmentation” showed an 80% acceleration in pain relief among patients treated with this active technology compared to patients treated with placebos.
Patients were randomly assigned to active or placebo treatment with the wearable, lightweight, disposable I

July 2007

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:52:09 -0400

TCC-EZ™ Cast System Provides Additional Support and Stability

MedEfficiency (Westminster, Colo) introduces the TCC-EZ™ Total Contact Cast System, a total contact cast (TCC) that attempts to assist patients with diabetic foot ulcers with the task of offloading. The TCC-EZ consists of a fishnet mesh cast technology made of a single layered cast reinforced by an outer shell, which provides additional support and stability for patients.
The TCC-EZ is faster and easier to apply than the traditional total contact cast system, providing patients wit