God, your people are dying for a lack of our knowledge.
–Nurse’s prayer at end of wound care program.
Kumasi, Ghana, July 24, 2008

Dear Readers,

Case Report.

A 19-year-old man was brought by Emergency Medical Services to a Level I trauma center 20 minutes after sustaining 3 stab wounds to the left chest. The patient was awake and oriented, but complaining of difficulty in breathing and left sided chest pain. The patient’s vital signs were as follows: heart rate = 110 bpm, blood pressure (BP) = 110/75 mmHg, oxygen saturation = 92% on 10 L/min O₂ by facemask.

     More than 8 million Americans are affected by peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD).¹ The presence of PAOD can seriously inhibit the ability of a lower extremity ulceration to heal. Many wounds will not heal unless adequate arterial perfusion is reestablished. Traditionally, revascularization was achieved by open surgical bypass,² but recent advances in percutaneous angioplasty and stenting techniques have provided new options.

KCI Enters into Agreement with 3M Health Care

Kinetic Concepts Inc (San Antonio, Tex) entered into an agreement with 3M Health Care (St. Paul, Minn) for the supply of 3M Tegaderm™ brand transparent film dressings for inclusion in KCI kits with KCI’s V.A.C.® Therapy System in the treatment of complex, hard-to-heal wounds. The newly designed Tegaderm dressing that was configured exclusively for use with V.A.C. Therapy will provide a skin-friendly interface that conforms to the body and flexes with skin for greater patient comfort.