Pressure Injury Prevention

Scrotum injuries can be caused by one or more mechanisms of injury such as trauma, pressure, friction, and moisture. Minor injuries frequently result in pain to the afflicted area, swelling, or ecchymosis.

Pressure injuries (PIs) often result from sustained pressure and shear on skin and local tissue. As a result, patient position, posture, and load bearing are integral factors to consider to alleviate such forces. A better understanding of the biomechanics of these factors may assist clinicians and scientists in identifying and addressing biomechanical risk factors for pressure injury. As a result, research and design improvement of medical equipment could contribute to preventing device-related pressure injuries DRPIs, and clinicians may have better insights into high-risk areas for skin injury.

by Fabiola Jimenez, RN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN To tell you the truth, I was not exactly sure what I was getting into when I decided to go to Wound Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nursing school. My reference was my experience during my Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) clinical rotations where I worked with a colorectal surgeon and the Nurse Practitioner (NP). The patients we saw had everything to do with a WOC’s expected body of knowledge.

By Bruce E. Ruben MD This particular blog is not necessarily intended to educate, but to be a thinking piece that asks more questions than it answers.

By Ivy Razmus, RN, PhD, CWOCN The very old and the very young are more alike than you might think when you consider risk for skin injuries. They are alike regarding their limited sensory perception, mobility, and activity. They are also alike in their potential for inadequate nutrition and their skin's supporting structures (muscle, collagen and elastin). These similarities place them at greater risk for pressure injuries.

Given the potential consequences of FTT, recognition and diagnosis of this phenomenon are important components of care in older adults. Regardless of status, health care providers should implement and document all appropriate measures within patient goals of care. One of the key factors in lawsuits is a lack of communication with family members, who maintain that they were not informed in a timely manner about their loved one’s health status and prognosis.

Wound chronicity is defined as any wound that is physiologically impaired due to a disruption in the wound healing cascade: 1) hemostasis, 2) inflammation, 3) proliferation, and 4) maturation/remodeling. To effectively manage chronic wounds, we must understand the normal healing process and wound bed preparation (WBP). Wound chronicity can occur due to impaired angiogenesis, innervation, or cellular migration. The presence of biofilm and infection are the most common causes of delayed healing.

By Terri Kolenich, RN, CWCA, AAPWCA We all have hobbies outside of what we do for a living. At least, we all should have hobbies or interests outside of our careers. Our hobbies are our outlet for stress. I love to draw. I also enjoy painting. What I love most of all is acting and theater. I love being on stage, performing, and getting an emotional response from my audience. Everyone that knows me well knows how much I love acting on stage. Bringing a script to life exhilarates me. Just the thought of performing live, delivering memorized lines, and anticipating the reaction of my fellow actors stirs and motivates me. Most of all I crave the opportunity to use my improvising skills when a scene goes an unexpected direction.

Pressure injuries impact quality of life. Tissue destruction in pressure injuries occurs when capillaries supplying the skin structure are compressed for a prolonged time, usually occurring between a bony prominence and a surface. Education and prevention are essential in reducing the prevalence of pressure injuries.

Editor's Note: How can facilities lower their hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) rates? In this interview, Kelly McFee, DNP, FNP-C, CWS, CWCN-AP, FACCWS, DAPWCA discusses setting up a pressure injury prevention program at her facility with a focus on multidisciplinary efforts, along with resources that helped move this initiative along.