Click here for the Wounds UK Home Page December 2007

BSN Roadshows     Spot the ball         WWW - Wonderful Website World

Before I begin I must thank my friend and colleague Andrew Kingsley for his great newsletters for the past few months. They were very refreshing and I have a lot to live up to, so bear with me. Andrew has moved back into clinical practice in Barnstaple and I wish him well. I have included some of his recommendations for this month within the newsletter. So Wounds UK at Harrogate is over for another year, a huge event this year with Continence UK and Dermatology UK taking part for the first time. Again I am amazed at the amount of work being done by people in the UK and it is heartening to know that despite the current climate, practitioners are still putting patients first and producing work which pushes the boundaries. A record number of free papers were submitted and more posters were on display than ever before. As part of the newsletter this month I would like to suggest the creation of a Project Network. There is so much good work being done in every corner of the UK that I feel it would be good to know what is happening where and by whom. This could be an opportunity to share your projects be they audit or research. There would also be a chance to ask for assistance with a project or for the experience of other practitioners doing similar work. We often discuss the difficulty in achieving sufficient numbers in our studies to make the results more meaningful and transferable, however, if there are a number of centres involved using similar methods of data collection then results could be more impactful. Collaborative work has been a key goal of many of the funding bodies in the UK and working with other areas can improve the transferability of results. This will also be helpful to those who are new in post wishing to carry out audit or other projects. Below is an idea of how this would look. Name or Institution Project title/audit/research Timescale Description Results/ Comments/queries Contact details Aberdeen Tissue Viability Dept Grampian Telemedicine project Ongoing The project has been very successful and has allowed community staff to seek opinions from the tissue viability service In addition allows the department to follow up patients post discharge Is anyone else using telemedicine and how are they finding it David Gray and Fiona Russell, Dept. Tissue Viability Aberdeen Royal Infirmary 01224 552328 Any projects which you wish to appear please forward to me at john.timmons@wounds-uk.com John Timmons Editor

Papers of Interest Latest references

BSN Roadshows BSN announce 2 roadshows examining the treatment of wound infection, without silver. Sorbact is a product based on hydrophobic technology, which attracts bacteria into the dressing and away from the wound bed. The first study day will be on Wednesday of this week (5th Dec) at Worcester University and the second will be in Manchester in January, with the date still to be announced. For more information go to the link on the main Wounds UK web page.   Keep reading for: Spot the ball WWW-Wonderful Website World Papers of interest Download this newsletter in PDF format Spot the ball Keeping your eye on the innovations in wound care is a bit like playing spot the ball, you can never quite be sure where it is. This little news snippet might just be the place to put your 'x' on the competition form. It has been reported (NiP 2007) that Strathclyde Institute of Medical devices has apparently developed a sensor that can monitor the healing of wounds. About half the size of a postage stamp the sensor is attached to the dressing and can then be attached by wires to a monitor for a reading to be taking on healing. 'The system is designed to take the guesswork out of wound care...The monitor means dressings aren't changed unless they need to be....' says Professor Patricia Connolly Director of the Institute. Nursing in Practice (2007) Sensor "could transform wound care". Nursing Practice Bulletin. No 90. 1/11/07   Keep reading for: WWW-Wonderful Website World Papers of interest Download this newsletter in PDF format WWW-Wonderful Website World The Royal District Nursing Service in Australia is a useful site to go to with lots of wound related stuff to investigate www.rdns.org.au click on the Research Unit tab and scroll to the Pursuit of Excellence newsletter   Keep reading for: Papers of interest Download this newsletter in PDF format   References - Papers of interest Leg ulcers Fife, C., Walker, D., Thomson, B., Carter, M. (2007) Limitations of Daily Living Activities in Patients With Venous Stasis Ulcers Undergoing Compression Bandaging: Problems With the Concept of Self-bandaging. Wounds. 19: 10; 255 - 257 Foot Ulcers Cole, B. (2007) Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain: recognition and management. Pain Med. 8: suupl 2; S27 - 32 Pressure Ulcers Black J et al (2007) National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel's updated pressure ulcer staging system. Dermatol Nurs. 19: 4; 343 - 349 Vascular Dosluoglu, H., Attuwaybi, B., Cherr, G., Harris, L., Dryjski, M. (2007) The management of ischaemic heel ulcers and gangrene in endovascular era. Am J Surg. 194: 5; 600 - 605 Surgical Bolton, L. (2007) Evidence corner: Primary wound closure. Wounds. 19: 10; A16 - A18 Dinah, F., Adhikari, A. (2006) Gauze packing open surgical wounds: empirical or evidence-based practice? Ann R Coll Surg Eng. 88: 1; 33 - 36 Vogt, K., Uhlyarik, M., Schroeder, T. (2007) Moist wound healing compared with standard care of treatment of primary closed vascular surgical wounds: a prospective randomised controlled study. 15: 5; 624 - 627 Knox, K., Datiashvili, R., Granick, M. (2007) Surgical wound bed preparation of chronic and acute wounds. Clin Plast Surg. 34: 4; 633 - 641 Epstein, N. (2007) Do silver-impregnated dressings limit infections after lumbar laminectomy with instrumented fusion?. Surg Neurol. 68: 5; 483 - 485 Dermatology Buck, M. (2007) Retapamulin: A new option for impetigo. Pediatr Pharm. 13: 9; 1 - 4 Burns Khan, A., Rawlins, J., Shenton, A., Sharpe, D. (2007) The Bradford burn study: the epidemiology of burns presenting to an inner city emergency department. Emerg Med J. 24: 8; 564 - 566 Infection (KAYA D et al reference below is a CORRECTION FROM LAST MONTH'S NEWSLETTER) Kaya, D., Agartan, C., Muhterem, Y. (2007) Fungal Agents as a Cause of Surgical Wound Infections: An Overview of Host Factors. Wounds. 19: 8; 218 - 222 Brooks, P., Phang, K., Moazzam, A. (2007) Nanocrystalline silver (Acticoat) for itch relief in the burns patient. ANZ J Surg. 77: 9; 797 Awad, S., Elhabash S., Lee, L., Farrow, B., Berger, D. (2007) increasing incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections: reconsideration of empiric antimicrobial therapy. Am J Surg. 194: 5; 606 - 610 Topical Negative Pressure Kiyokawa, K., Takahashi, N., Rikimaru, H., Yamauchi, T., Inoue, Y. (2007) New continuous negative-pressure and irrigation treatment for infected wounds and intractable ulcers. Plast Reconstr Surg. 120: 5; 1257 - 1265 Aguinaga, S., Welber, A., Stephens, S. (2007) Positive steps towards negative pressure wound therapy. Medsurg Nurs. 16: 3; 181 - 182 Honey George, N., Cutting, K. (2007) Antibacterial Honey(Medihoney™): in-vitro Activity Against Clinical Isolates of MRSA, VRE, and Other Multiresistant Gram-negative Organisms Including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Wounds. 19: 9; 231 - 236 Maggots Steenvoorde, P., van Doorn, L., Jacobi, C., Oskam, J. (2007) Maggot debridement therapy in the palliative setting. Am J Palliat Care. 24: 4; 308 - 310 Moist wound healing Zhai, H., Maibach, H. (2007) The effect of occlusion on experimental wound healing: a reevaluation. Wounds. 19: 10; 270 - 276 Various Rushton I (2007) Understanding the role of proteases and pH in wound healing. Nurs Stand. 21: 32; 68 - 72 Moscati, R., Mayrose, J., Reardon, R., Janicke, D., Jehle, D. (2007) A multicenter comparison of tap water versus sterile saline for wound irrigation. Acad Emerg Med. 14: 5; 404 - 409 Hullett, J., Spinnato, G., Ziccardi, V. (2007) treatment of an ear laceration with adjunctive leech therapy: a case report. 65: 10; 2112 - 2114 Alvarez, O., Kalinski, C., Nusbaum, J., Hernandez, L. et al (2007) incorporating wound healing startegies to improve palliation (symptom management) in patients with chronic wounds. J Palliat Med. 10: 5; 1161 - 1189   Download this newsletter in PDF format