Wound Debridement Basics: The 5 Major Methods Explained
June 24, 2022
Review the five methods of debridement (biological, enzymatic autolytic, mechanical, and sharp). Read on to learn your BEAMS!
What is Charcot Foot?
January 1, 2015
What is Charcot Arthropathy? Charcot foot, as it is commonly referred to, is a chronic progressive disease of the bone and joints found in the feet and ankles of our diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy. What leads to this Charcot foot? Having long standing diabetes for greater than 10 years is one contributing factor. Having […]
Venous, Arterial or Mixed Ulcer…How Do I Know For Sure?
December 15, 2014
Proper assessment is essential for differentiating between venous and arterial ulcers. Your patient has a lower extremity wound. You aren’t sure what exactly you are dealing with. You know you need to measure the ankle-brachial index (ABI), but as you wait for results, some of your wound assessment findings offer clues. Characteristics of Venous Ulcers […]
How Do I Stage a Wound If Cartilage Is Present?
November 17, 2014
In the human body the cartilage is found in joints, rib cage, ear, nose, bronchial tubes and between the inter-vertebral discs. As wound clinicians we most often see it just below the bridge of the nose or on the ear in our patients with pressure injuries. Many clinicians continually question themselves how to stage a […]
A Stinky Situation: When Wound Odor is a Problem
November 10, 2014
You may have become desensitized to it, but if your patient has odor in the wound bed, consider it a problem that you need to fix. As healthcare clinicians, in a way, we are lucky. We become desensitized to things we encounter over and over again, they just don’t bother us like the first time […]
Why ABI?
October 20, 2014
What exactly is an ABI? ABI stands for Ankle Brachial Index. This is a non-invasive bedside tool that compares the systolic blood pressure of the ankle to that of the arm. It is done to rule out Peripheral Arterial Disease in the lower extremities. The ABI is considered the “bedside” gold standard diagnostic test and […]
Why I Became a Wound Care Certified Nurse
December 13, 2010
An interesting question has been posed of me recently, and when I reflected upon it, I realize now that I've been asked this question thousands of times. The question was "Why did you become a Wound Care Certified Nurse?
Wound Measurement and Documentation
January 18, 2010
Wound Measurement and Documentation is a daily task the wound care professionals utilize in their practice. There are various tools like flow sheets, tracing materials, measuring tapes, skin markers, labels, and other products specifically designed for wound assessment, measurement and documentation. There are varying types of documentation methods from print to electronic, digital photography to […]