Dressings

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.

A recent case presented in a poster at SAWC emphasizes the unique nature of traumatic, full-thickness wounds. Full-thickness wounds due to trauma, especially those left out to the open for extended periods, are not only at risk of becoming infected and chronic but can also greatly negatively impact patient quality of life.

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 Michel H.E. Hermans, MD In the June 2015 issue of the Journal of Ostomy Wound Management, Bell et al. published an article in which they reacted to the recent decision by CMS (January 22, 2015) to change its HCPCS code for a Manuka honey dressing for Medicare Part B patients to a non-covered code. Apparently, this ruling was based on the fact that the dressing is impregnated with more than 50% (by weight) honey. The authors, rightly so, stated that this would be a major loss for a significant number of patients who, under the previous ruling, would have been able to use the dressing as a reimbursed material. Indeed, this specific dressing is one of the materials with a good record with regard to clinical proo

Moist wound healing is the current cost-effective, evidence-based modality to achieve faster wound healing rates and decreased pain and infection. As part of the wound healing process, acute wounds produce reparative exudates consisting of growth factors to support extracellular matrix production; in contrast, chronic wounds contain inflammatory-producing exudates studded with cytokines and proteases that may help maintain the inflammatory phase but can exert destructive effects on the fragile wound bed and may extend to the periwound surface.

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 the WoundSource Editors Hydrocolloid dressings provide a moist and insulating healing environment which protects uninfected wounds while allowing the body's own enzymes to help heal wounds. These dressings are unique because they don't have to be changed as often as some other wound dressings and are easy to apply. Hydrocolloid dressings:

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.

By the WoundSource Editors Occlusive dressings are used for sealing particular types of wounds and their surrounding tissue off from air, fluids and harmful contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, in a trauma or first aid situation. They are often utilized as an immediate means of controlling the cleanliness of a wound as well as the loss of blood until surgery can be used for long-term treatment. Although no wound dressing can provide complete seal, the waxy, non-absorbent nature of occlusive dressings are often enough. The quality of the provided seal often depends on factors such as the skill of the person dressing the wound, the nature of the wound and the condition of the area around the wound. Health care professionals are trained in the application of this kind of dressing, but the task is sometimes taken on by a patient's long-term caregiver.