Wound Healing

By Aletha Tippett MD There has been a very interesting and disheartening development in the past two years. My practice has always had a small private wound care clinic, and we have always been busy with referrals from local physicians. But lately those referrals have evaporated, the reason being that the local physicians have become part of larger hospital-based systems. So now if they have a wound they refer it to the hospital wound center that is a part of their system.

By the WoundSource Editors Complex wounds pose a significant challenge for many health care providers. These wounds are often multifaceted, making treatment tremendously difficult. They represent a substantial burden on the health care industry, with annual costs in North America alone estimated at $10 billion annually. They often also result in patient discomfort and pain, caregiver frustration, individual economic losses, and diminished quality of life.

Wound healing is a complex biological process that involves a sequence of molecular and cellular events to restore damaged tissue. These events occur within the extracellular matrix, a complex three-dimensional acellular environment that is present within all tissue and essential for life. Remodeling within this extracellular matrix is necessary for tissue repair throughout the wound healing process, including during the inflammatory phase.

The term chronic wound is frequently used when discussing challenges in wound care, and it is widely recognized as a wound state that presents a formidable public health challenge. Although this term has been used since the 1950s to describe wounds that are difficult to heal or those that do not follow the normal healing process, there has been uncertainty since that time about what conditions actually make a wound chronic.

By Janet Wolfson PT, CLWT, CWS, CLT-LANA Delayed wound healing: how did it start, what are we doing to prevent delay, and what could we be doing differently when delay is noted?

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) continue to be a major problem, causing patient suffering, burden, infections, and high mortality. The cost of DFU treatment was estimated at $1.3 trillion globally in 2015. Despite evolving advanced wound care technologies through the years, DFUs continue to be among the most challenging chronic wound types.

By the WoundSource Editors The most common type of chronic lower extremity wound is the venous ulcer, affecting 1% to 3% of the U.S. population. Chronic venous ulcers significantly impact quality of life and are a financial burden for both the patient and the health care system. In the United States, 10% to 35% of adults have chronic venous insufficiency, and 4% of adults 65 years old or older have venous ulcers. Identifying signs of venous disease early on while implementing surgical intervention, if warranted, can increase healing outcomes and decrease the recurrence of venous ulcers. Treatment of venous ulcers can include exercise, leg elevation, dressings, advanced wound care such as cellular and tissue-based products, compression therapy, medications, venous ablation, and surgical intervention.

By Mary Ellen Posthauer RDN, CD, LD, FAND Recently, I attended a webinar that focused on dietary protein and preserving lean muscle mass. There is a wealth of research on this topic, in particular, as it relates to older adults and protecting muscle health during inactivity. Dr. Robert Demling noted the effect of lean body mass (LBM) loss on wound healing. Healing a wound requires increased calories to prevent the body from breaking down protein (LBM) for energy, thus depleting protein stores required for protein synthesis and healing. Lean body mass is metabolically active, transports protein throughout the body and is essential for survival as it contains all of the skeletal and smooth muscles and immune cells. Healthy adults lose between 3-8% of LBM per decade and after age 70 muscle loss increases to 15% per decade. This loss of LBM or sarcopenia is an age-related, insidious loss of lean muscle mass accelerated by physical inactivity and poor nutrition.

By Mary Ellen Posthauer RDN, CD, LD, FAND Last month I discussed the value of consuming a "balanced diet" versus taking mega doses of vitamins for wound healing. This month the focus is on minerals. Minerals are inorganic compounds that comprise 4% of body weight but are essential to metabolic function, tissue health and fluid balance.

by Hy-Tape International In order to promote rapid healing, improve patient comfort and prevent complications, it is important that healthcare professionals actively work to prevent infection. One key component of that effort is wound dressing securement. Secure, gentle and effective dressings can help prevent the ingress of foreign material, reduce damage during dressing changes and help foster an ideal healing environment. This can help reduce the risk of infection, improving patient outcomes and lowering costs.1 In this post, we will explore the importance of infection prevention and effective dressing securement strategies to help prevent infection.