Author Archive

Diabetic Toenails: Watch for Change

Tuesday, March 21st, 2023

Changes in the diabetic foot can happen fast: here are the signs and types clinicians in wound care need to look for. As a wound care professional, chances are you’ve treated a number of nail conditions and abnormalities that occur among the general population.

But when you’re working with diabetic patients, noticing and identifying variations is even more crucial. This is because change can happen more rapidly in the diabetic foot, and pathologies in diabetic toenails can ultimately lead to skin breakdown, foot ulcerations and infection.

So, what causes the nails to change? What exactly should you look for? We’ve got you covered.

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Venous Ulcers vs. Arterial Ulcers

Monday, February 13th, 2023

Understanding the differences between arterial and venous ulcers is important in the effective treatment of lower leg and foot wounds. Determining the type of vascular wound you are dealing with can save vast amounts of time in the healing process. Let’s look at some of those differences and how to treat each type.

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Burn Wound Care

Thursday, February 9th, 2023

Our skin is the largest organ of our body. It is our protection from injury and harmful substances. It prevents moisture loss, regulates our internal temperature, shields us from germs, protects us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, and allows us to feel sensations such as touch.

Burns are common trauma wounds that disrupt skin’s protective function. The consequences of that disruption range from minor to fatal. A burn may be caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, and radiation. Providing proper burn wound care as soon as possible will benefit treatment.

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Wound Debridement

Thursday, December 15th, 2022

According to the National Library of Medicine, wound debridement, or the removal of nonviable tissue, biofilm, and bioburden from the wound bed, is an essential part of standard wound treatment.

Bioburden consists of microorganisms on the surface of the wound bed, while biofilm is a substance created by the presence of bacteria, microbes, and cellular debris. The removal of these tissues optimizes the wound bed for ongoing granulation of healthy tissue and promotes epithelialization.

Tissues like these act as barriers to wound healing, and chronic wounds will be unable to heal if these tissues are present — making debridement an essential part of the healing process.

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The Essential Role of Nutrition in Wound Care

Friday, December 9th, 2022

When tackling the complexities of wound healing, it is easy to overlook your patient’s nutritional status on this journey. We often glaze over nutrition in wound care and focus on other concerns when the healing process is not optimal, posing questions like: Have we ordered vascular studies? Have we gotten them on to the most adequate support surface? Is there an underlying infection we need to address? Why has healing stalled?!

The frustration can be overwhelming. Which is one of the reasons to remember the importance of nutrition in wound healing.

According to the National Library of Medicine, good nutrition is essential for healing, though this is often the last box we check when reviewing wound healing requirements. Nutrition in wound healing is so much more important than the attention we often give it, and conversations surrounding nutrition should take place with patients and their caregivers at the beginning of treatment. Ongoing reinforcement of this education is also critical. Let’s look at some of those essential nutrients.

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Understanding the Foundation of Wound Care Treatments

Friday, November 4th, 2022

A healthy wound environment is essential for healing. The type of wound care treatment chosen can have either a positive or a negative effect on this process. Starting with the basics and adding on treatments as needed can make a big difference.

Treatment choices are based on the etiology of the wound, wound environment, and the patient’s underlying medical conditions. We’ll begin with the basics of wound care and then look at additional treatments and adjunct therapies.

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Wound Care Basics: Types of Wounds

Friday, October 28th, 2022

Wound care professionals need a baseline knowledge of the different types of wounds they encounter. Correctly diagnosing and treating the wound as well as any underlying causes, will give you and the patients you care for the best chance of success.

Types of wounds are classified as either acute or chronic. Let’s first look at acute wounds, which tend to move along the healing continuum normally and usually heal within six-eight weeks.

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