By the WoundSource Editors
The process of wound healing ideally progresses from inflammation to epithelialization and, finally, remodeling. If at any point bacterial (or fungal) colonization becomes prominent, the process of wound healing is disrupted. The creation of biofilm is...
By the WoundSource Editors
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...
By WoundSource Editors
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are open sores or wounds caused by a combination of factors that include neuropathy (lack of sensation), poor circulation, foot deformities, friction or pressure, trauma, and duration of diabetes with complication risks. DFUs...
By WoundSource Editors
Pressure injuries are common among patients who experience extended exposure to pressure on a bony prominence or shear to areas of poor turgor, two factors that lead to constriction of a patient’s blood supply to the exposed area. A patient who is bedridden...
By the WoundSource Editors
To understand the concepts of a wound and wound healing, we must examine the skin and its pathophysiology, as well as its unique structures and functions. Skin care and wound management must be grounded in a comprehensive knowledge base of the structure...
By the WoundSource Editors
Debridement is the process of removing nonviable tissue and foreign objects (such as glass or shrapnel) from a wound bed to help the wound heal. Decaying tissue can trap bacteria and lead to a harmful infection such as gangrene, which is the death of...
Join Dr. Caroline Fife at WoundCon Fall 2021 for her talk on the angisome concept and how it applies to pressure injury development.
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) may affect up to 25% of people with diabetes at some point in their lifetime. Once a person has developed a DFU, there is a 50% chance the ulcer will become infected. DFUs are also among the leading causes of amputation.
Selection of a wound dressing requires a multifaceted approach. Currently, no dressing can meet all needs of a wound (infection prevention, promotion of re-epithelialization, moisture balance, etc.).1 Clinicians must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of the dressing or dressings chosen...
The digital age is upon us, like it or not, ready or not. For the past few years, payers have incentivized, encouraged, reimbursed, and adopted various digital, remote monitoring systems and devices as a way to encourage providers to adopt more digital, remote methods. Although complete...
As health care professionals monitor the wound drainage of a patient, it is critical to be able to recognize the different types of wound drainage. Open wounds and incision wounds may both present...
Collagen is a natural fibrous protein of the extracellular matrix. It contains three proteins wrapped around each other to form a triple-helix structure. Collagen is a biocompatible structural protein that is ideal for tissue engineering and regenerative purposes.
Silver nitrate is commonly used to chemically cauterize a wound for hemostasis after debridement or treatment of hypergranulation tissue. It is an inorganic and radiodense material with antimicrobial properties that can be used as a solution or an applicator stick.
The use of wet-to-dry dressings has been the standard treatment for many wounds for decades. However, this technique is frowned on because it has various disadvantages. In this process, a saline-moistened dressing is applied to the wound bed, left to dry, and removed, generally within four to...
Compression therapy is a well-established treatment modality for a number of conditions, including venous disorders, thrombosis, lymphedema, and lipedema. It is also very effective in treating various kinds of edema.1 Based on patient diagnostic data, many patients with these conditions can...
By: Mary Brennan, RN, MBA, CWON and Diane Krasner, PhD, RN, CWCN, CWS, MAPWCA, FAAN
In a recent survey, we asked our WoundSource Editorial Advisory Board members what outdated wound care practices they continue to see in the field. Depending on what health care setting clinicians work in, there are specific guidelines, policies, and procedures that may impact standard of care....
By Miranda Henry, Editorial Director of WoundSource
Whether meeting with patients via telehealth at your home-based office or doing rounds at the clinic, WoundSource is still there to provide you with the most trusted and up-to-date wound care education and product...
By the WoundSource Editors
Studies have shown significant value in moist wound healing as opposed to treatment of wounds in a dry environment, and clinical evidence has supported this view for many years. Moist wound healing has been shown to promote re-epithelialization and can...
By the WoundSource Editors
Dehiscence occurs when a surgical incision that was closed opens, either partially or completely. Dehiscence is most likely to take place within the first two weeks after surgery, but it can occur as late as one month after surgery.
By the WoundSource Editors
Antifungal cream is a broad term used to describe a range of products containing antifungal agents that are topically applied to the skin to control and manage fungal infections. These products may be formulated with a moisture barrier to protect and...
By the WoundSource Editors
Maceration occurs when skin has been exposed to moisture for too long. A telltale sign of maceration is skin that looks soggy, feels soft, or appears whiter than usual. There may be a white ring around the wound in wounds that are too moist or have...
By the WoundSource Editors
Silver nitrate is a natural, inorganic chemical compound with antimicrobial properties that has been used in medical applications since the 13th century. It is used as a cauterizing agent and is available as a solution or an applicator stick. The...
By the WoundSource Editors
Before the mid-1990s, venous disorders and disease were classified almost solely on clinical appearance, which failed to achieve diagnostic precision or reproducible treatment results. In response to this, the American Venous Forum developed a...
By the WoundSource Editors
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.
By the WoundSource Editors
As a response to increasing rates of infection with the novel coronavirus (which causes an illness termedCOVID-19), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and all major medical organizations are advising individuals to wash their hands...
Burns occur when the skin comes into contact with a heat source or caustic substance, commonly fire or flames, boiling liquid, hot objects, electrical current, or chemical agents. Different mechanisms of injury that can cause a burn include scalding, fire, chemical exposure, electrical exposure...
By the WoundSource Editors
Necrotic wounds are characterized by devitalized, or dead, tissue. Necrosis may be caused by malignancy, infection, trauma, ischemia, inflammation, or exposure to toxins. It may also be caused by improper care of an existing wound site. Devitalized...
By the WoundSource Editors
After an injury or surgery, the body responds by forming scar tissue. Scar formation is a normal part of the wound healing process, but not all scars are the same. Some scars form in only the superficial epidermal layers, whereas others encompass deeper...
By the WoundSource Editors
Ulcers in the lower extremities are more common in patients older than 65. Ulcerative wound types include venous, arterial, diabetic neuropathic, and pressure. To identify ulcer types, these wounds should be examined thoroughly for their distinct...
By the WoundSource Editors
Fistulas are abnormal connections or passageways between two organs or vessels that do not usually connect. Although they typically develop as a result of an injury or surgery, they can also be caused by infection or inflammation. The World Health...
By the WoundSource Editors
Edema is the abnormalaccumulation of excess fluid within tissue. The swelling associated with edema can be localized to a small area following an acute injury, it can affect an entire limb or a specific organ, or it can be generalized throughout the...
By the WoundSource Editors
A pilonidal cyst is a pimple-like cyst typically located in the sacrococcygeal region of the body, usually near the top of the intergluteal cleft (also referred to as the natal cleft). Rarely, pilonidal cysts may also manifest between digits. This...
By the WoundSource Editors
The prevalence of pressure injuries among certain high-risk patient populations has made pressure injury risk assessment a standard of care. When utilized on a regular basis, standardized assessment tools, along with consistent documentation, increase...
By Miranda J. Henry, Editorial Director of WoundSource
This updated edition of WoundSource provides a glimpse of the continuing evolution of the field of wound care. There are several additions this year that reflect the innovation and ingenuity we are seeing in wound...
By the WoundSource Editors
Edema is swelling that occurs when there is an excessive amount of fluids within the intracellular space, typically within subcutaneous tissues. Edema is more commonly experienced in the lower extremities and other areas that are farther from the heart...
by Miranda J. Henry, Editorial Director
It's been over two decades since WoundSource first landed in the hands of clinicians practicing wound care. While patient outcomes remain the primary objective in managing wounds, health care providers have so many more ways to...
by the WoundSource Editors
Burn management is typically based on the severity of the wound, and the goals are to prevent shock, relieve pain and discomfort, and reduce the risk of infection. Pathogens are present everywhere, and any breach in the skin, especially burns, can lead...
By Jeanne Cunningham, Founder of WoundSource
After seeing about 100 pictures of wounds, I was beginning to feel sick. The year was 1985 and there I was, a recent college graduate in my 20s, sitting in a cramped office at the Crozer Chester Medical Center in Chester, PA, watching...
By Miranda Henry, Editorial Director of WoundSource
Twenty years ago, WoundSource™ became the first-ever comprehensive wound care reference guide for clinicians. It contained just nine product categories and did not yet include such innovations as hand-held wound...
By Karen Zulkowski, DNS, RN Wound Course Instructor, Excelsior College
Dr. Karen Zulkowski is recently retired from her role as associate professor at Montana State University-Bozeman, where she taught evidence based practice and lead field research for nearly 20 years. She began...
By the Wound Source Editors
Martin D. Vera, LVN, CWS is the Coordinator of Wound Management at Patience Home Health Care in San Antonio, Texas. He has been working in the wound care field for nearly 20 years, helping countless patients, teaching wound care best practices, and improving...
By Fabiola Jimenez, RN, ACNS-BC, CWOCN
Fabiola Jimenez is a Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse and Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist at Detroit Medical Center Huron Valley Sinai Hospital, a small community hospital of 158 beds in eastern Michigan. She has been a nurse since 1988, when...
By the WoundSource Editors
Moist wound healing is the practice of keeping a wound in an optimally moist environment in order to promote faster healing. Research has shown that moist wound healing is three to five times quicker than the healing of wounds that are allowed to dry...
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...
By Miranda Henry, WoundSource Managing Editor
There are opportunities for health care providers at all levels to become experts in the field of wound care. This multidisciplinary field is comprised of a wide range of health care professionals including nurses, dietitians,...
By the WoundSource Editors
With approximately 68,000 codes (nearly five times the number of codes as ICD-9), the ICD-10 system can seem daunting. In addition to an expansion in the number of codes, with flexibility for new code development, ICD-10 codes themselves are also longer...
By the WoundSource Editors
Health care professionals have a major responsibility for assuring patient safety and quality of care when making wound care product selections or recommending treatment options. This is particularly true for wound care.
By the WoundSource Editors
Litigation over hospital-acquired pressure ulcers represents a significant fraction of a medical malpractice attorney's caseload. The liability issues have shifted since October 1, 2008 when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and several...
By the WoundSource Editors
Writing up a case report is an important professional activity in not only wound care, but in any other field as well. A case report records the details of the presentation of signs and symptoms, assessment, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of a...
By the WoundSource Editors
A myriad of factors need to be addressed when evaluating a patient with a wound. A thorough patient history, including previous wounds, surgeries, hospitalizations, and past and existing conditions will help guide your clinical assessment, in addition...
By the WoundSource Editors
Over the course of a wound’s existence, several tissue types can be identified. In order to properly stage a pressure ulcer (injury) and determine the best treatment option, it is important for the clinician to be able to determine the tissue type that...
By the WoundSource Editors
The term diabetic foot refers generally to the increased occurrence of complications in the feet of patients with diabetes mellitus. The most common foot problems related to diabetes are peripheral neuropathy leading to ulceration, vascular disease,...
By the WoundSource Editors
HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy) has now been used for many years. Over the years we have seen HBOT used in treatment of many conditions such as various immune disorders, Lyme Disease,...
By the WoundSource Editors
Neuropathic ulcers form as a result of peripheral neuropathy, typically in diabetic patients. Local paresthesias, or...
By the WoundSource Editors
Psoriasis is a chronic, noncontagious skin disease resulting from an atypical autoimmune response which leads to accelerated skin growth and the formation of skin lesions. Psoriasis causes skin cells that typically...
by the WoundSource Editors
Lymphedema (alternate spelling: lymphoedema) is a condition marked by the retention of interstitial fluid (lymph) and the swelling (edema) of surrounding soft tissue...
By the WoundSource Editors
Generally speaking, a burn is an injury to the tissue of the body, typically the skin. Burns can vary in severity from mild to life-threatening. Most burns only affect the uppermost layers of skin, but depending on the depth of the burn, underlying...
