Dressings

By Margaret Heale RN, MSc, CWOCN

I watched a short PowerPoint DVD on the "bag technique" as part of our regular in-servicing the other day. The presentation started with the most important way to prevent cross infection—wash hands—which is fine. Then came the bag technique. I have no problem with the fundamentals of keeping your bag off the floor, only getting anything out of it after decontaminating your hands, and wiping before you store. I do have a problem with having to place the bag on a Chux or water-resistant wipeable or disposable surface, however.

By WoundSource Editors

Wound dressings can accelerate the healing process by protecting the injury or wound from bacteria and creating an environment which supports healthy healing. Foam dressings are an effective tool for moist wound healing and are particularly useful in preventing dressing-related trauma, managing exuding wounds, and minimizing dressing discomfort and pain.

By Margaret Heale RN, MSc, CWOCN

Wrapping wounds is an art, and hence, it comes easily to some and more difficult to others. This post won't make you a wound dressing artist, but it does provide some tips for good bandaging techniques. The word "bandage" (in the US) often refers to a primary dressing, so "wrap" better describes a bandage that is long, narrow, and may be used to secure a primary dressing or obtain graduated compression on a limb.

By the WoundSource Editors

Biodegradable alginate dressings made from seaweed date back at least fifty years and commercially available alginate has been available since 1983. Often used on wounds with heavy exudate, the alginates used to produce these dressings are made from a variety of seaweeds harvested around the world. Arguably underused, these dressings are not well studied and documented in the medical literature compared to other modern dressings.

Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Journal Review Club
Editor's note: This post is part of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (TUSPM) journal review club blog series. In each blog post, a TUSPM student will review a journal article relevant to wound management and related topics and provide their evaluation of the clinical research therein.

By Margaret Heale RN, MSc, CWOCN

Wounds are dressed every day, and much goes into the choices that are made to properly apply wound dressings. The condition of the periwound skin should be a major factor in the decisions made, as injuring this area can extend the wound and cause considerable pain. Tape removal is one of the most painful areas of wound care.¹

By Margaret Heale RN, MSc, CWOCN

Like many people, you might go to recycling every month or so and be proud to deliver a few black bags of rubbish, and recycle most everything else. Many of you may have a thriving compost heap (mine is frequented by the biggest and fattest groundhog in the universe who eats produce instead of garbage). Like me, you might think of yourself as a responsible dweller of planet earth.

By Jeffrey Levine MD

While I’m on rounds with students I like to ask, "What is the active ingredient of hydrogel?" My query is usually met with puzzled looks. It's a trick question, because the term "active ingredient" generally applies to pharmacologic agents that undergo metabolic change in biologic systems. The active ingredient of hydrogel which gives this substance its name is water. Compounds are added to thicken the mixture and provide viscosity, such as glycerine. Other ingredients common in cosmetics, such as aloe vera, methyl paraben, hydrogenated castor oil, and propyl paraben, are added to hydrogel depending on the manufacturer.

By Aletha Tippett MD

Well, what a surprise to find that what you have been doing all along is really the right thing to do even though you didn’t know the reason. Always, over the years doing wound care, I applied a thick layer of zinc oxide ointment around the patient’s wound, then put my dressing on the wound and covered it with a topping, usually plastic wrap pressed into the zinc oxide ointment.

By Aletha Tippett MD

How do you know if you are making right choice for a patient? Or, how do you know if you are even making a choice? This is true in the world of limb salvage. I have witnessed too many patients for which the risk of amputation was too much, and they died. But how do you know what the outcome will really be? You never really know, but you can make your best guess.