Disappointed by Debridement
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
March 3, 2017
Plaintiffs often express shock and disbelief after eschar is removed, which often leaves a wound larger than the original size of the eschar. Wound photo: “Stage 4 decubitus displaying the Gluteus medius muscle attached to the crest of the ilium” by Bobjgalindo is licensed under CC BY 2.0 “We were in shock and couldn’t believe our […]
Wet-to-Dry Dressings: The Downside and Effective Alternatives
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
February 10, 2017
Key Takeaways Wet-to-dry dressings are often considered substandard due to their non-selective debridement, which can harm healthy tissue and delay wound healing. This article advocates for more effective, cost-efficient alternatives like selective debridement methods and modern dressings that promote healing and reduce infection risk. What should wound care professionals do when a physician orders wet-to-dry […]
Wound Detective Series: Is It (Or Is It Not) Infected?
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
January 13, 2017
How can you tell if a wound is really infected? Learn how to spot the signs of infection and be a skilled wound investigator. Are you ready, wound detectives, to tackle a new case? This time, we’re learning how to spot the signs of infection. Remember, the wound will tell us what we need to […]
Ankle-Brachial Index? It’s Easier Than You Think
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
December 7, 2016
Determining a patient’s ABI is a vital part of wound care, but unfortunately this step is often avoided … or even omitted. Here’s why this happens, and how you can change it. Have you ever faced a seemingly daunting task, and so you do everything in your power to avoid it? Like renewing a driver’s […]
Wound Care Myths: 5 More Debunked
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
November 25, 2016
Whether it involves heel protectors, anti-embolism stockings, or letting wounds “breathe,” there are still plenty of wound-care myths circulating out there. Ready for the truth? You can handle it. Do you use wet-to-dry dressings in order to save money? Have you administered oral antibiotics to treat infected wounds? And do you follow physicians’ orders for […]
Diabetic Toenails: Top Tips for Proper Trimming
By Angie Commorato
November 11, 2016
Check out these best practices for trimming your diabetic patient’s toenails to help prevent foot ulceration. Did you know that a whopping 10-25% percent of all patients with diabetes ultimately develop a foot ulcer – a diagnosis that brings a five-year mortality rate of nearly 50%? Consistent foot care, such as regular screenings, footwear assessment […]
12 Wound Care Fun Facts
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
October 28, 2016
Beer, honey and grease? The history of wound care includes all three, and much more. Go ahead … amaze your friends and colleagues with these wound care fun facts. We’ve come a long way in wound care, especially over the past 100 years or so. But wound care techniques are as old as humankind, with […]
Wound Detective Series: How to Get Away with Killing Biofilm
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
October 21, 2016
Even the best wound care detectives are challenged by this sneaky culprit that delays healing. Here’s how to identify biofilm bacteria and solve the case. Ready for some serious detective work? In this wound-care case, we will try to find and invade the elusive biofilm bacterial hide-out. So the questions are: where are those microbes […]