New biomaterials could promote natural wound healing
While doctors have various materials on hand to dress wounds, researchers continue to look for ways to improve those supplies. A recent development from a team at Imperial College London involves a new molecule that can change how traditional wound care materials react with the body. By interacting with tissues as healing takes place, the molecule can promote accelerated yet natural wound healing.
Here are the details on this innovative wound care development:
What is this new molecule?
The researchers named the new molecules traction force-activated payloads, or TrAPs for short. They're designed to connect wound care ...
Source: Advanced Tissue - April 23, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound healing Source Type: news
What is regenerative medicine and how can it promote wound healing?
When traditional treatments fail to heal wounds, many doctors look to modern alternatives to help patients recover. Regenerative medicine is one of the most recent developments to become a worthy treatment alternative.
Here’s an overview of regenerative medicine and its role in wound care:
What is regenerative medicine?
The National Institutes of Health defines regenerative medicine as the process of creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace lost tissue or organ function. Through regeneration, replacement and rejuvenation, regenerative-medicine techniques work with the body’s natural wou...
Source: Advanced Tissue - April 9, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care Wound healing Source Type: news
What is a venous skin ulcer?
Roughly 500,000 to 600,000 people in the U.S. each year develop venous ulcers, effectively making them the most common type of skin ulcer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. While anyone can develop skin ulcers, you may be at a higher risk of a venous one if you have a history of leg swelling, varicose veins, obesity or frequent blood cots.
Here’s your quick guide to venous skin ulcers:
Patients with varicose veins are at a higher risk of developing a venous skin ulcer.
What is a venous skin ulcer?
Venous ulcers are the result of poor circulation in the veins. Instead of being sent back to the heart, blood p...
Source: Advanced Tissue - April 2, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care wound healing Source Type: news
How to recognize the signs of wound infection
Knowing how to tell if a wound is infected is an important skill to have, namely because you'll be able to alert your doctor to the infection as soon as possible. The sooner your doctor can intervene with the appropriate treatment method, the better your chances of getting back on the proper healing track without further complications.
Here are the signs and symptoms of wound infection that you should never ignore:
Knowing the signs of wound infection helps your doctor prescribe the right treatment.
Increased or continued pain
If your wound is healing properly, the pain should gradually subside. However, if it remain...
Source: Advanced Tissue - March 28, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Infection Source Type: news
What happens when your stitches get infected?
Loops of thread designed to bring together the edges of a wound and promote proper healing, stitches are commonly used to treat open wounds and close surgical incisions. As with any wound, those treated with stitches can also experience complications like infection.
Here's your quick guide to infected stitches:
Look out for redness, swelling and other signs of infection when stitches are healing.
The causes
Bacteria are often the cause of infected stitches, namely because broken skin cannot protect the body from germs as well as intact skin can, as noted by Healthline. Other culprits could be poor wound cleaning...
Source: Advanced Tissue - March 25, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care Wound Infection Source Type: news
March / April 2019 Long Term Care
Would you review the management of a venous insufficiency ulcer for us?
An Advanced Tissue newsletter written by Carolyn Brown, BS, MEd, RN, ARM, CWSr, FACCWS.
Download Here
The post March / April 2019 Long Term Care appeared first on Advanced Tissue. (Source: Advanced Tissue)
Source: Advanced Tissue - March 19, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Newsletter Source Type: news
New study reveals the importance of health literacy and patient advocacy for wound healing
When patients actively collaborate with physicians during their wound care process, the results are favorable for everyone involved. With open doctor-patient communication, physicians consider patient concerns and preferences and are mindful of carefully explaining treatment procedures. Doing so increases patient understanding and treatment adherence, and ultimately, drives positive outcomes.
While there is enough evidence to suggest that patient-centered care is essential to wound healing, many patients lack the knowledge and support to be fully involved. A recent study conducted by Healogics Wound Science Initi...
Source: Advanced Tissue - March 19, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care Wound healing Source Type: news
3 common types of chronic wounds
How do you know if your wound is chronic? The severity of your injury, as well as complications that cause significant delays in healing, are common indicators. There are also certain kinds of wounds that often end up high on the chronic scale.
Here are the three most common types of chronic wounds:
Infectious wounds, surgical sites and ulcers are among the most common chronic wounds.
1. Infectious wounds
When infection causes significant delays in healing, the wound often becomes chronic. According to Wound Care Centers, typical signs of chronic infectious wounds include bad odors, pus drainage, dead tissue, in...
Source: Advanced Tissue - March 7, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care Wound Infection chronic wounds Source Type: news
Top tips for diabetic foot care
Diabetes presents dangers for your feet, leaving you at a higher risk for developing an infection or encountering other serious complications from even the slightest of wounds. This is because diabetes can cause nerve damage and loss of feeling in your feet, as well as a reduction in blood flow that makes it more difficult for your body to heal wounds.
With that said, there are preventative measures you can practice to keep your feet in good shape. Follow these diabetic foot care tips to prevent wound development and complications:
Diabetic patients must take care of their feet to prevent wound development.
Inspec...
Source: Advanced Tissue - March 1, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: diabetic wound care diabetic foot ulcer Source Type: news
Guide to chronic wound treatment methods
A wound becomes chronic when it fails to progress through the normal healing stages. According to Wound Source, if the wound doesn’t show significant signs of healing within 30 days, doctors should begin treating it as a chronic wound.
In the event that a wound becomes chronic, doctors may prescribe one or more of the following treatment methods:
Some chronic wounds require surgery to promote healing.
Cleansing
Chronic wounds require careful attention and cautious yet frequent cleansing between dressing changes to promote healing. The exact steps will vary depending on the wound. For instance, according t...
Source: Advanced Tissue - February 22, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care Wound healing chronic wounds healing wounds Source Type: news
4 advantages of telehealth solutions in wound care
While telemedicine can’t entirely replace a visit to the doctor’s office, several useful applications of the technology promote wound healing. Here are four ways patients can benefit from telemedicine applications in wound care:
Telehealth solutions allow doctors and patients to connect remotely.
1. Wound diagnosis and treatment from home
Wound Source noted that generally, telemedicine technology can provide 24-hour access to medical advice from any location. Health care providers can use a computer, tablet, smartphone or another electronic device to evaluate patient symptoms, assess wounds, prescribe ...
Source: Advanced Tissue - February 18, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care Wound care products Source Type: news
New type of wound dressing shocks patients
While Wound Source estimated that there are over 6,000 types of wound care dressings, the steep number doesn’t stop researchers from testing products for more advanced dressings. Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently developed a new low-cost wound dressing designed to accelerate wound healing.
Here are the details on this innovative wound dressing:
How does this wound dressing work?
While electricity can be beneficial for skin healing, most electrotherapy products require bulky equipment and complex wiring. This new dressing leverages the power of electrical pulses for healing, but is in ...
Source: Advanced Tissue - February 14, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound care products wound dressings Source Type: news
Top tips for wound care at home
The level of care and affection you apply to your wound can make or break the recovery process. Proper wound care at home helps you heal as quickly as possible, reducing the chances of infection or other delays in recovery.
Get back to tip-top shape in no time by following these tips:
Proper wound care at home is vital for healing.
Wash your hands
Never touch a wound before cleaning your hands! Wash them thoroughly with antibacterial soap to remove bacteria and other debris that can threaten infection.
Keep it clean
Healthline advised keeping minor wounds clean and dry for five days after the initial injury ...
Source: Advanced Tissue - February 7, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Care Source Type: news
What is a cross infection?
There’s a good reason why doctors are obsessed with washing their hands and hospitals are such sterile environments: A clean and thoroughly sanitized area is vital for preventing patient complications, namely infections.
A cross infection occurs when harmful microorganisms like bacteria and viruses transfer to a patient by way of another person or medical tools and equipment. It can also spread within the body. Such an infection can drastically delay wound healing and lead to more serious complications.
Here’s a quick overview of what you should know about cross infections:
The types and causes
Healthli...
Source: Advanced Tissue - February 4, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: Wound Infection Source Type: news
Why does a diabetic wound take longer to heal?
Diabetes and wound healing have a complicated relationship, namely because many symptoms of the condition impact the body’s ability to recover at an average pace. As a result, patients with diabetes are also more susceptible to infection and other complications during the wound healing process. Even minor cuts, scrapes and blisters require cautious and mindful care.
Here are the main reasons why diabetic wound healing is a slower process:
Patients with diabetes are prone to delayed wound healing.
Blood sugar levels
Patients with diabetes have high blood sugar levels, which can inhibit nutrients and oxygen f...
Source: Advanced Tissue - January 31, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: AdvancedTissue Tags: diabetic wound care diabetic ulcers diabetic foot ulcers diabetic wounds Source Type: news
