Wound healing is determined by the general health of your patient, so a comprehensive assessment of your patient is crucial when planning and evaluating treatment.
When assessing and reporting on a patient, be sure to note the following:
Diagnosing the underlying cause of a wound is an essential part of wound assessment – and you can only treat the wound once this has been determined. You’ll also need to assess the wound bed and the surrounding skin. After you’ve made these assessments, you can select the best dressing.
When assessing and reporting on a wound, you’ll want to note the following:
In many countries Coloplast offers training in wound assessment and management for health care professionals.
See how the use of Biatain® Non-Adhesive foam dressings led to a 95% reduction in ulcer area after four weeks’ treatment of a venous leg ulcer.
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See how treatment of a heavily infected ulcer with Biatain® Ag Non-Adhesive foam dressing and Biatain Alginate® Ag prevented amputation of a foot.
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See how a one-month treatment of a heavily exuding sacral pressure ulcer with Biatain® Ag effectively eliminated signs of local infection.
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This patient suffered from heart failure, coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension and venous insufficiency in both lower limbs, as well as Alzheimer’s.
For four months, she had a very deep diabetic foot ulcer on the right foot with erythema, oedema, crepitation and heat in the surrounding tissues. She was referred to the A&E department and after examination by Vascular Surgery, her family was informed that the immediate treatment would involved supracondylar amputation since she was suffering from a grade 4–5 diabetic foot based on the Wagner scale.
The family was opposed to this treatment, and the patient was returned to her home for monitoring by her family doctor and out-patient care and dressing by home nursing. Biatain Alginate Ag and Biatain Ag were used in combination with debridement and oral antibiotics.
This picture shows the ulcer at inclusion:
This picture shows the ulcer after five weeks of treatment with first Biatain Alginate Ag and then Biatain Ag Non-Adhesive:
Here we see the ulcer after four months’ treatment:
The ulcer was closed after 10 months’ treatment:
The objective set was to prevent amputation of the foot, ensure the well being and comfort of the patient and of the family. The method used began to bear fruit already seven days after the treatment started, with visible changes in the development of the wound. The wound closed ten months after the treatment was started.
Tips for prevention, assessment and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers are available in: Diabetic foot ulcers – prevention and treatment: A Coloplast quick guide.
The patient was an 88-year-old woman with a highly exuding Stage III sacral pressure injury. The ulcer had persisted for two months and had previously been treated with standard moist wound healing products.
The ulcer had several signs of local infection, a significant odour, and was heavily exuding. A small undermining was present at the top of the ulcer and there was approximately 50% unhealthy necrotic tissue in the wound bed.
The first picture shows the infected, highly exuding pressure injury before Biatain Ag treatment:
Odour was eliminated after just one week of treatment:
This picture shows that the wound bed is clean and healing is progressing after four weeks of treatment:
During the one-month treatment period Biatain Ag effectively eliminated signs of local infection and supported healing of this heavily exuding sacral pressure injury. Elimination of odour and a significant increase in healthy granulation tissue was observed already after one week.
For more information about Wound Care, you can contact the resources below.
The academy members include practicing dermatologists who are committed to excellence in patient care, medical and public education, research, professionalism and member services support . Learn more about this academy at www.aad.org.
APIC is a professional association dedicated to improving health and patient safety by reducing risks of infection and other adverse outcomes. Learn more about this association at www.apic.org.
AAWC is a non-profit association for anyone involved in wound care. Join in to learn more about wound care at www.aawconline.org.
The aim of the DFSG is to promote improvements in diabetic foot care. Read more about this group at www.dfsg.org.
EPUAP works to lead and support all European countries in the efforts to prevent and treat pressure ulcers. You can learn more about their activities at www.epuap.org.
The EWMA deals with all clinical and scientific issues related to wound healing. Each year, EWMA hosts one of the largest international events within wound management and wound healing in Europe. Learn more about this association at www.ewma.org.
IWGDF works to improve outcomes of diabetic foot problems and strengthen the communication between healthcare professionals. Learn more about their work at www.iwgdf.org.
IASP is the world's largest multidisciplinary organization working to support the study of pain and to translate that knowledge into improved pain relief worldwide. Read more about them at www.iasp-pain.org.
NPUAP is an American organization working for the prevention and improved treatment of pressure ulcers. Read more at www.npuap.org.
A consortium of executives representing healthcare providers; medical products, pharmaceuticals and supply chain distribution companies; and service businesses united to reengineer and advance the future of the healthcare supply chain for the purpose of improving the overall healthcare marketplace in the United States. Learn more by visiting www.smisupplychain.com.
World Wide Wounds is an electronic wound management journal dedicated to providing practical guidance and information on all aspects of wound management to healthcare professionals worldwide. Read the journal at www.worldwidewounds.com.
The Wound Healing Society is a non-profit organization for clinical and basic scientists dedicated to improve the area of wound healing. Learn more about their activities at www.woundheal.org.
The WOCN Society is a professional nursing society. It supports its members by promoting educational, clinical and research opportunities to advance the practice of expert healthcare to individuals with wounds, ostomies and incontinence. Read more about this society at www.wocn.org.
WUWHS is an international organization dedicated to improving the wound care standards for patients and the healthcare performance of professionals. It also works to ensure universal access in all healthcare systems. For more information go to www.wuwhs.org
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The patient
The patient – an 85-year-old woman – had been suffering from a venous leg ulcer on the lateral part of her lower left leg. The skin on her leg was fragile. The ulcer had persisted for five months at inclusion.
Previous treatment
Prior to inclusion, the ulcer had been treated with alginate dressings and compression therapy for ten weeks. Ulcer healing was delayed compared to the normally expected healing rate.
Biatain Non-Adhesive introduced
When the patient began treatment with Biatain Non-Adhesive, the ulcer area was 4.9 cm2. The ulcer contained 20% fibrinous tissue and 80% healthy granulation tissue. During the four-week treatment period, long-stretch compression bandages were applied.
This picture shows the ulcer at inclusion after cleansing:
Ulcer area was reduced by 73% after two weeks of treatment with Biatain Non-Adhesive:
The ulcer area was reduced by 95% after 4 weeks of treatment with Biatain Non-Adhesive:
Conclusion
During the four weeks treatment period: