The wildly popular Buzz Report is one of the main attractions of our annual Wild On Wounds (WOW) conference.

Wound care clinicians from across the U.S. look forward to attending our Buzz Report session each year to learn the latest about wound care news, research and products that came out.

The Buzz Report is the brainchild of Donna Sardina, MHA, RN, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS, co-founder of WCEI and the WOW conference.

Sardina said she created the first Buzz Report in 2004 as an overview for clinicians, in response to WCEI student requests on how to stay current on the latest developments in the world of wound care news.

“Students said they were concerned they didn’t have enough time to devote to read all the updates in wound care due to their busy schedules as clinicians,” Sardina said. “They were looking for one resource to find regular updates.”

Sardina emphasized that brand names are discussed in the report, however, the report is for information purposes only.

No WOW vendors or companies pay to be listed in her report. She acts solely as a third party, providing facts on new wound care products in the U.S. market, books, research from around the world and wound care apps, to inform clinicians.

The 2019 Buzz Report was a two-hour session that concluded with a handout about the wound care news she covered.

Sardina shared some of the major highlights from her report.

#1 — Acquisition leads wound care news

First, the WCEI was acquired by OnCourse Learning in 2017.

Then Relias Healthcare, a division of Bertelsmann Education group and owned by Bertelsmann, purchased OnCourse Learning in 2018.

So WCEI is now part of the Relias family and is owned and powered by Relias.

#2 — New guidelines set for release

In other wound care news, the National Pressure Injury Guidelines offer recommendations regarding pressure injury prevention and treatment for all age groups and in all healthcare settings.

The last version of the Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: Clinical Practice Guidelines was published in 2014.

The 2019 guidelines will be launched by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Nov. 15-16, 2019, in Los Angeles at the USC Hotel and University of Southern California.

More details about the launch can be viewed here.

#3 — Wound imaging product

MolecuLight is a hand-held wound imaging device that allows clinicians to quickly, safely and easily visualize bacteria, measure wounds and take photos at the point of care.

The device emits a precise wavelength of safe violet light, which interacts with the wound tissue and bacteria, causing the wound and surrounding skin to emit a green fluorescence (i.e. collagen) and potentially harmful bacteria to emit a red fluorescence (i.e. porphyrins).

It can detect bacteria at and below the wound surface (typically to 1.5 mm deep).

When a wound is debrided using FL-image guidance, it may uncover bacteria in deeper parts of the wound.

#4 — Dressing with a silicone border

Polymem is a polymeric membrane dressing with a gentle silicone adhesive border. It’s a unique adhesive that is engineered to stay in place more securely.

It has a rounded border, thin edges and is available in antimicrobial silver configurations and various sizes.

The dressing protects periwound tissue because it:

  • Has a silicone adhesive that does not come in contact with the wound.
  • Features design that minimizes trauma.
  • Allows for removal and repositioning.
  • Minimizes risk of edges rolling.

The dressing includes a cleanser, a super-absorbent and moisturizer so it cleanses, moistens, absorbs, fills and protects.

There is less pain for patients as the moisturizer keeps the dressing from adhering to the wound bed, the wound cleanser reduces the need for manual (often painful) wound bed cleansing, and the silicone-based adhesive reduces discomfort with dressing removal.

#5 — New antimicrobial dressing

Procellera is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial wound dressing that features advanced microcurrent technology.

It has microcell batteries embedded in the dressing made of elemental silver and zinc, applied in a dot-matrix pattern to a polyester substrate.

In the presence of a conductive medium, such as wound exudate, water-based hydrogels or saline, microcurrents are generated at the dressing surface.

Silver and zinc in the product minimize or prevent the growth of microorganisms within the dressing, not at the wound site, and help preserve the dressing.

The dressing generates electricity that mimics the body’s physiologic electric fields and may reduce the risk of infection while supporting the body’s natural healing process.

Procellera is indicated for the management of wounds to provide a moist wound environment and for partial and full-thickness wounds, such as:

  • Pressure ulcers
  • Venous ulcers
  • Diabetic ulcers
  • First- and second-degree burns
  • Surgical incisions
  • Donor and recipient graft sites

#6 — Diabetes care standards

The final big wound care news is the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2019 was issued. It’s a comprehensive report updated annually.

The standards document includes current clinical practice guidelines for healthcare professionals, patients and others regarding the essential elements of diabetes care, goals for treatment and tools to assess the quality of patient care.

Revisions to the ADA standards are also discussed. One change from the previous standards pertains to the frequency of clinical foot examinations.

Individuals with evidence of sensory loss or a history of prior ulceration or amputation, should have their feet inspected at every visit.

This is a change from the previous guideline, modified now to only include those patients in the high-risk category.

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Carole Jakucs, MSN, RN, PHN, CDCES

Carole Jakucs, MSN, RN, PHN, CDCES, is a freelance writer and diabetes educator. Her background in nursing includes tenures in healthcare management and as a care provider. She has worked in med/surg/telemetry, a pediatric emergency department and college health.

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