Wound Healing

Patient education should be a priority to empower patients to care for themselves and improve patient outcomes. Involving patients in their own care can help them to understand about their wound and be more adherent to the overall treatment plan. Remember to involve the caregiver or family if applicable. Ask your patient questions about who will be changing the dressing so the appropriate parties can be involved.

By Aletha Tippett MD In 1771, Luigi Galvani discovered that the muscles of a frog leg contracted when touched by a spark. This spawned the beginning of our understanding of the relationship between electricity and electrical stimulation and its effect and use on the human body. One thing that is often overlooked when caring for wounds is the impact that electricity can have on wound healing. It is used in the form of electrical stimulation, most often applied by a physical therapist. In her wonderful book, Wound Care: A Collaborative Practice Manual for Health Professionals, Dr. Carrie Sussman provides the rationale and procedures for using electrical stimulation to promote wound healing.

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 Diana L. Gallagher MS, RN, CWOCN, CFCN It's finally here. Thanksgiving has been put away along with the good china and crystal. Our family, like countless other families across the country, enjoyed the traditional rounds of football games, the company of family and friends and far too much food. As much as I enjoy Thanksgiving, I love Christmas. I simply adore everything about the holiday season which for me begins the day after Thanksgiving.

By the WoundSource Editors Whether due to injury or surgery, wound healing normally progresses steadily through an orderly set of stages. Wounds that don't heal within 30 days are considered chronic. Wounds that become chronic generally stall in one or more of the phases of wound healing. Here are 10 of the most common factors affecting wound healing in chronic wounds:

Approximately 2.5 million Americans are diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, and approximately 20% will go on to develop venous leg ulcerations. Chronic venous leg ulcers (VLUs) account for 90% of all chronic ulcers of the lower limb region. Wound chronicity takes place in wounds that are stalled and/or remain unhealed after four to six weeks. Although evidence-based care has been established, it has been reported that 30% of patients still experience delayed healing, with wounds often failing to heal within a 24-week time frame. Identifying risk factors for VLUs is imperative in best outcomes.

By Becky Naughton, RN, MSN, FNP-C, WCC As a wound care nurse practitioner, when I see granulation tissue start to form on a wound, I do a little happy dance. Granulation tissue is a sign that the wound is on its way past an often-stubborn inflammatory phase of healing and progressing into the building phase of proliferation. But what exactly is granulation tissue? And why does its presence indicate that the wound is healing? Let’s explore this a bit more.

By Thomas E. Serena MD, FACS, FACHM, FAPWCA In 1950, J. Edgar Hoover published the first edition of the FBI’s most wanted list. Since that time, no less than 512 fugitives have been featured. Many surrendered after learning that their mug shots were hanging on every post office wall in the country. In medicine, we have an equally infamous public posting: The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) work list. In 2017, it turns out that hyperbaric medicine services are "public enemy number one." But please, do not surrender just yet.

By Mary Ellen Posthauer RDN, CD, LD, FAND February is American Heart Month and Valentine’s Day is celebrated around the world on the 14th. So what is the connection between protecting your heart, enjoying candy and flowers with those you love on Valentine’s Day, and wound care? Many of your clients with wounds also have some type of heart disease or have elevated lipid levels. These clients need nutritional strategies for wound healing that also protects their hearts.

By Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS, FAAN My last blog discussed the need to be high touch in a high-tech environment. This generated a lot of discussion among readers. Everyone agreed 'high touch' is important, but wondered what can we do to actually create that environment in all clinical settings?