by the WoundSource Editors
The goal of pressure injury/ulcer prevention is not only to maintain skin integrity but also to provide a patient-centered plan of care geared toward positive outcomes. This includes seeing your patient as a person, as well as identifying the patient’s...
by the WoundSource Editors
Palliative care and hospice care are not the same, but they both share one goal. They both focus on a patient's physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs. Palliative care can begin at diagnosis and treatment or for patients at any stage of their...
by the WoundSource Editors
In today's health care market, we have numerous turning and repositioning tools, offloading devices, and sensor technology gadgets available. You may ask "Why do we need any of these technologies if we provide consistent quality of care?" "Consistent"...
by the WoundSource Editors
"Has Your Family Member Developed Bedsores While in a Hospital, Nursing Home, or Assisted Living Facility?" This is what you will see attorneys advertising on social media sites and television. The driving message is that your loved ones aren't...
by the WoundSource Editors
Acute Wound: A wound that is following a predicted pattern of healing that should result in complete functional closure.
Chronic Wound: A wound that has failed to re-epithelialize after three months, usually...
by the WoundSource Editors
Surgical site infections (SSIs) account for 20% of total documented infections each year and cost approximately $34,000 per episode. SSIs are responsible for increased readmission rates, length of stay, reoperation, morbidity, and mortality, as well as...
by the WoundSource Editors
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most prevalent surgical wound complications, comprising approximately 15% of all health care–associated infections, with more than 500,000 reported yearly. Preventing SSIs is perhaps the best way to prevent...
by the WoundSource Editors
Appropriate surgical wound and incision management in the post-operative time period is imperative to prevent complications, including surgical site infection and wound dehiscence. The tenets of modern wound management are applicable to primarily closed...
by the WoundSource Editors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate approximately 30 million surgical procedures are performed annually in the United States. Advances in technology have afforded patients options such as minimally invasive surgery, commonly...
by the WoundSource Editors
Callus: Localized area where the stratum corneum is thickened, typically found bordering ulcerations on the plantar, medial, and lateral surfaces of the foot; in the setting of diabetic foot ulcer , this indicates an area of repetitive external pressure...
by the WoundSource Editors
Comprehensive treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) includes moist local or topical wound care, serial sharp debridement, treatment of infection, mechanical offloading, glycemic control, nutritional management, and overall chronic disease management...
by the WoundSource Editors
Thorough, systematic assessment of a patient with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is essential to developing a comprehensive plan of care. To implement the treatment plan successfully, clinicians and patients must work together to address each factor...
by the WoundSource Editors
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are arguably among the most difficult types of wounds to manage; the etiology of these wounds poses some of the greatest clinical challenges for healing, considering the multifaceted nature of diabetes mellitus (DM). Multiple...
by the WoundSource Editors
Diabetes-related foot complications, including diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), are leading causes of non-traumatic lower extremity amputation. Of the approximately 420 million adults in the United States with diabetes mellitus, one fourth will develop at...
by the WoundSource Editors
Successful utilization of the TIME model for wound bed preparation requires a working knowledge of chronic wound tissue types. In addition, building on this foundational knowledge is the development of accurate wound assessment skills. These components...
by the WoundSource Editors
Before embarking on the journey of wound bed preparation, the goals for wound care should be carefully considered. A realistic look at the goals and expectations from the perspective of the patient as well as the wound care team is the first step in...
by the WoundSource Editors
For wound healing to occur, a complex, well-defined cascade of events must take place in the body’s natural host processes. When this cascade of events is disturbed, a wound can fall into a state of non-healing or chronicity. In clinical practice,...
by the WoundSource Editors
Bioburden in chronic wounds can be a principal contributor to inflammation, clinical wound infection, and further delayed wound healing. Clinically diagnosing infection in chronic wounds can be problematic because most individuals susceptible to...
by the WoundSource Editors
Bacterial load/burden: Presence of bacterial pathogens in an open wound contributing to wound chronicity and persistence of inflammatory cycle. There are several points along the spectrum of bacterial presence in chronic wounds:...
Alginate: Highly absorptive, non-occlusive dressing derived from brown seaweed or kelp.
Antimicrobial dressing: Delivers a sustained release of antimicrobial agents to the...
by the WoundSource Editors
As wound care clinicians, we need to take into consideration many different factors in deciding on a treatment plan for our wound patients. Our patients should be evaluated on an individual basis. If we look at our patient’s socioeconomic status, we...
by the WoundSource Editors
Do you, as a wound care clinician, know the ingredients of the dressings you are using on your patients? Do you know brand names, or do you know dressing categories? There are over 6,000 dressings, and we as clinicians cannot possibly learn about every...
by the WoundSource Editors
Selecting advanced wound care dressings is most effective when looking at the “whole” patient. If you are focusing only on the “hole” in the patient, you may not be enhancing the wound healing process as much as you had anticipated. In fact, you may be...
by the WoundSource Editors
Dressing selections can be overwhelming for clinicians and providers in health care. There are now well over 6,000 wound care products on the market. Ideally, there would be a multifunctional smart dressing that could “do it all” readily available in...
by The WoundSource Editors
There are five types of non-selective and selective debridement methods, but many factors determine what method will be most effective for your patient.1 Determining the debridement method is based not only on the wound presentation and...
by The WoundSource Editors
To witness the normal wound healing process is extraordinary. However, the systematic process of healing is not always perfect. Chronic wounds are complex and present an immense burden in health care. Identifying the wound etiology is important, but an...
by The WoundSource Editors
There are four stages of wound healing. This systematic process moves in a linear direction. The four stages of wound healing are: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. It is imperative to remember that wound healing is not linear. It...
by The WoundSource Editors
Debridement is essential to promote healing and prevent infection. There are five main types of debridement methods. BEAMS is the common mnemonic to remember all types: biological, enzymatic, autolytic, mechanical, and surgical. In recent years, new...
by the WoundSource Editors
When developing the plan of care for the patient with a chronic wound, it is imperative first to look at the "whole" patient and not just the "hole" in the patient.1 As we do, we are able to review any medical conditions or disease states that may...
by WoundSource Editors
Chronic wounds are any types of wounds that have failed to heal in 90 days. Identifying the cause of a chronic wound is most important in the healing process. We as clinicians must help bolster advanced wound care by sharing advances in education in...
by The WoundSource Editors
The periwound is as important as the wound. As clinicians, we should carefully assess the wound bed, but we need to remember also to assess the periwound and surrounding skin. The periwound should be considered the 4cm of surrounding skin extending...
by the Wound Source Editors
Chronic non-healing wounds affect millions of patients each year and contribute significantly to their morbidity and mortality. These wounds have a substantial impact because of their economic burden and the significant effect on the reduction in...
by the WoundSource Editors
Acute wound: Alteration in skin integrity such as a simple laceration or a surgical wound that moves normally through the healing process and heals in a predictable timeframe without complication.
Antibiotic resistant:...
by the WoundSource Editors
Of the millions of surgical procedures performed annually, most surgical site wounds heal without complications. Surgical site infections...
by the WoundSource Editors
Among the greatest triumphs of modern medicine were the identification and naming of the Penicillium mold by Alexander Fleming in 1928, and its ability to inhibit bacteria growth on culture medium. Penicillin was then developed by the team of...
by the WoundSource Editors
Effective wound management and the prevention of infection for patients with wounds are not only key to wound improvement, but also to avoiding a slide into a state of chronicity. Unfortunately, many wounds that start out simple turn into chronic wounds...
by the WoundSource Editors
Given the impact of infection on delayed wound healing, determining the presence of colonization and infection is imperative to achieving healed outcomes. Chronic wounds are always contaminated, and timely implementation of management and treatment...
by the WoundSource Editors
It has long been known in clinical practice that long-term exposure of the skin to moisture is harmful and can lead to extensive skin breakdown. The term moisture-associated skin damage was coined as an umbrella term to describe the spectrum of...
by the WoundSource Editors
Although clinical practice is hampered by a lack of rigorous studies, standardized terminology, or definitions of incontinence-associated skin damage, it is well known among health care providers that this damage places patients at increased risk for...
by the WoundSource Editors
Best practice in skin care focuses on the prevention of skin breakdown and the treatment of persons with altered skin integrity. When we ask what causes skin damage we should consider the conditions that can harm the skin, including excessive moisture...
by the WoundSource Editors
The performance of an accurate and complete skin assessment is of utmost importance to obtaining and maintaining healthy skin. Understanding the structure and function of the skin is key to the differentiation of normal from abnormal findings. Having...
by the WoundSource Editors
One of the greatest challenges when dealing with biofilms in chronic wounds is identifying their existence in the first place. The extracellular polymeric substance or EPS coating on biofilms essentially is an invisible cloak that protects and hides...
by the WoundSource Editors
Have you ever had plaque buildup on your teeth, seen a thin clear film on the top of your pet's water bowl, or stepped into a locker room shower where the floor felt slick and slimy? If so, then did you realize these were all forms of biofilm?
by the WoundSource Editors
Identifying and managing biofilms have become two of the most important aspects of wound care. Biofilms can have a significant impact...
by the WoundSource Editors
Biofilm is a complex microbial community containing self- and surface-attached microorganisms that are embedded in an extracellular polymeric substance. The extracellular polymeric substance is a primarily polysaccharide protective matrix synthesized...
by the WoundSource Editors
Pressure ulcers/injuries pose a major risk to patients by increasing morbidity and mortality and causing significant discomfort.1 They are also prevalent, particularly in long-term care facilities, where patient populations may be at higher...
by the WoundSource Editors
Pressure ulcers/injuries are extremely prevalent, particularly in long-term and other care facilities, and primarily affect older adults, those with cognitive impairment, mobility issues or individuals who are bedfast. Understanding the best ways to...
by the WoundSource Editors
Nurses and other health care professionals providing care to patients regularly face challenges that can make it more difficult to perform routine tasks and ensure patient comfort and well-being, especially with regard to pressure ulcer/injury...
by the WoundSource Editors
Pressure ulcers/injuries are among the most costly and prevalent conditions faced by health care professionals. It is estimated that in the United States alone, pressure injuries cost up to $11.6 billion each year with an estimated per-injury cost of $...