Clinical usage of honey as a wound dressing: An update

Honey is an ancient treatment that is increasingly earning its place in modern wound care. Evidence suggests it compares with other dressings in terms of its antibacterial properties, ease of use and ability to promote a moist environmen

Is it time for a new descriptor 'pressure injury': a bibliometric analysis

Prediction, prevention and management of pressure injuries are areas that require specific attention from nurses in clinical practice. Moreover, increased awareness that these injuries are preventable is an important precursor to changing nurses’ practice and reducing the incidence of pressure injuries. The language and terminology that we use in daily practice can impact on the understanding and approach that nurses take to care delivery. In this area of wound care practice commonly used terminology that emphasises the nature of the wound, rather than its causation, may be a significant factor that limits the level of concern about prevention and responsibility taken by clinicians. This paper argues that the term ‘pressure injury’ promotes a better understanding of the fact that these wounds are preventable and may refocus the attention of nurses providing care to at-risk patients

Assessment of wound healing: validity, reliability and sensitivity of available instruments

Objectives: If wound assessment instruments are to be used in the periodic assessment of wound healing, they must prove to be valid, reliable and sensitive measures of wound healing. Thus, this systematic literature review aims to examine available wound healing instruments in terms of these parameters. Method: Only instruments able to measure changes in wound healing were included in this review and not those used to predict healing, classify wounds, or measure wound characteristics per se. All wound types were suitable for inclusion. Results: A total of 20 articles were found, evaluating the validity of 10 instruments used to monitor wound healing. No instrument satisfied all criteria required for instrument validation. Instruments used to assess pressure ulcers, notably the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) and Pressure Sore Status Tool (PSST), had been validated to the greatest extent, whilst those describing healing in leg ulcers and general or surgical wounds tended to lack comprehensive and quality evaluation. Conclusion: This review identified substantial gaps in the literature with regard to validation of existing wound healing instruments. Future studies are needed to comprehensively validate these instruments

Effectiveness of Giving Herbal Oil on Pressure Ulcers Management in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Patients: Systematic Review

Background: Intensive Care Unit is a unit to treat critical patients who need intensive care and monitoring. This can pose many risks, one of which is getting pressure ulcers/decubitus ulcers. Pressure ulcers are wounds caused by continuous compression of soft tissue. Prevention of pressure ulcers can be done by treating the patient's skin using herbal oil. Purpose: To identify the effectiveness of giving herbal oil on the treatment of pressure ulcers in ICU patients. Methods: The literature search was carried out using the PICO framework. This systematic review is limited to articles published in 2011-2021. The databases used are Google Scholar, PubMed, Sage Journal, Science Direct, and ProQuest with the keywords (oil OR herbal oil) AND (decubitus OR pressure ulcers OR bedsores) AND (critical patient). The selection of articles follows the PRISMA flow. Assessment of article quality was carried out by supervisors and authors using the risk of bias from The Cochrane's Collaboration.  Results: Based on the seven articles reviewed, five recommended oils were obtained, including olive oil, Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO), fish oil, almond oil and henna oil. The oil is applied by three methods, including by smearing without massage, smearing with massage and dressing. The instruments used are the Braden Scale, Suriadi Sanada Scale, Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH), International NPUAP/EPUAP Pressure Ulcer Classification System, micro life NC100 infrared thermometer and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Conclusion: Herbal oil can be applied by various methods as a complementary therapy to prevent and treat pressure ulcers in patients in the ICU

The role of honey in the management of wounds

The widespread development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has generated an increasing interest in the use of alternate therapies for the treatment of infected wounds. In 1989, an editorial in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, referring to reports on the successful use of honey in wounds, stated: 'The therapeutic potential of uncontaminated, pure honey is grossly underutilized.' This paper examines how the chemical and physical properties of honey may facilitate wound healing and offers guidance on practical issues related to clinical use

Zastosowanie uszypułowanego płata skórno-mięśniowego z mięśnia czworobocznego w leczeniu zaburzenia gojenia rany pooperacyjnej po dwuetapowej stabilizacji kręgosłupa piersiowego – opis przypadku

Musculocutaneous flaps play an important role in modern reconstructive surgery. They are useful in the treatment of primary traumatic skin lesions and secondary lesions formed during complicated healing of the surgical wounds. The case of 60 years old woman undergoing complicated healing of the wound after spine surgery is presented. The patient was qualified to spine surgery due to metastatic tumour caused by the lung cancer. The use of pedicled flap facilitated healing of the wound; thus, there was no need to remove implants stabilising pathologically fractured spine. The issue of ‘reconstructive ladder’ is discussed in the paper with various treatment options. Indications, surgical technique and postoperative care are thoroughly discussed providing an overview on this valuable method of treatment which allows a successful termination of complicated wound healing process.We współczesnej medycynie płaty uszypułowane pełnią ważną rolę, zarówno w leczeniu pierwotnych – urazowych ubytków powłok ciała, jak również wtórnych do leczenia operacyjnego, powikłanych wadliwym gojeniem rany. Poniżej przedstawiamy przypadek 60-letniej kobiety z chorobą nowotworową ze złamaniem patologicznym kręgosłupa i źle gojącą się raną pooperacyjną. Zastosowanie płata uszypułowanego umożliwiło zamknięcie i wygojenie rany, co pozwoliło uniknąć konieczności usunięcia implantów stabilizujących złamany kręgosłup. Artykuł ten dotyka problemu drabiny rekonstrukcyjnej i odpowiada na pytanie, kiedy zastosować jaką metodę leczenia. Mówi o wskazaniach do wykonania zabiegu przeniesienia płata skórno-mięśniowego, postępowaniu okołooperacyjnym oraz opiece pooperacyjnej. Opisuje przydatną metodę leczniczą, której znajomość i umiejętność zastosowania pozwala zakończyć z sukcesem powikłany proces gojenia rany pooperacyjnej

Aerobic bacterial isolates from infected wounds

Background: Wound infection causes great distress in terms of associated mortality and morbidity, increased length of hospital stay, profound discomfort and significant increased in healthcare cost. Infection in a wound delays healing and may cause wound break down, herniation of the wound and complete wound dehiscence.Therefore the knowledge of the causative agents of wound infection will be helpful in the control of wound infection and selection of empiric antimicrobial therapy as aninfection control measure.Methods:A total of 207 wound specimens collected from patients attending the University of Benin Teaching Hospital were used for this study. All specimens were collected using sterile swabs sticks. Specimens were processed using standard microbiological methods.Results:A total of 278 bacterial isolates were obtained from 207 wound specimens processed in this study. Positive growth were observed in 185 (89.4%) of the wound cultures and no bacterial isolates were obtained in 22 (21.1%) of the cultured materials. Staphylococcus aureus (26.9%) was the most predominant isolate followed by Klebsiellapneumoniae (17.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.9%) and Escherichia coli (12.6%). All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, amoxyillin-clavulanate and tetracycline but show variable susceptibility to other antibacterial used. Majority of theisolates produced beta lactamase. Conclusion: A high proportion of the wounds were infected.The variety of microorganisms observed in this study support the need to obtain culture specimen from infected wounds for microbiological evaluation and antibiotic susceptibility determination, so that adapted chemotherapy can be prescribed.Key words:wound infection, polymicrobial, immune status, hos

Efficacy of lysine versus mupirocin in the treatment of non-diabetic foot ulcer: the sessing scale for assessment of pressure ulcer

Background: This present studies intended to evaluate the wound healing ability, efficacy and tolerability of lysine cream (15%) in non- diabetic foot ulcer assessed by way of sessing scale.Methods: A randomized, open-label, interventional study was directed on 20 subjects (participants) non-diabetic ulcers. Participants were grouped into two groups, control (n=10) and case (n=10). The control was treated with standard treatment with mupirocin and the test group was treated with standard treatment alongside lysine cream (15%) twice every day. Wound healing in the participants was assessed by the sessing scales.Results: A total of 20 participants were allotted into two groups. The results expressed as mean±standard deviation values imply the size and depth of the foot ulcer from the first week to the 8th week. Both the groups showed a significant increase the ulcer healing and decrease the pressure of foot ulcer of over a period of 8 weeks. Assessment of the first week showed no significant ulcer healing and its pressure. The overall outcome indicated that the lysine-treated group extensively reduced each of the parameters favouring wound healing than the standard therapy with mupirocin (control group).Conclusions: Results concluded that, lysine cream is better efficacious in the repair of wound and additionally well tolerated compared to mupirocin

Adherence to compression therapy in patients with venous ulcers

Objetivo: Analizar la bibliografía publicada en relación con los factores que influyen en la adherencia al tratamiento de la terapia compresiva en las personas con úlceras venosas. Método: Se ha realizado una revisión bibliográfica, consultando PubMed, BioMed Central, Library Cochrane Plus, CUIDEN, LILACS, IBECS, IME, SciELO, CINAHL, desde enero del 2003 a mayo de 2013. Resultados: Se han encontrado dieciséis documentos que cumplen los criterios de inclusión. Existen factores que influyen en la adherencia al tratamiento relacionados con los pacientes, profesionales e instituciones. Conclusiones: Se debe considerar el carácter crónico de las úlceras venosas y realizar las intervenciones, teniendo en cuenta las preferencias, conocimientos y habilidades tanto propias como de los pacientes.Objective: To analyze the literature published in relation to the factors that influence adherence to compression therapy in people with venous ulcers. Method: We carried out a literature review, PubMed, BioMed Central, Cochrane Library Plus, CUIDEN, LILACS, IBECS, IME, SciELO, CINAHL, from January 2003 to May 2013. Results: There were sixteen documents that meet the inclusion criteria. It was found factors that influence adherence to treatment due to patients, professionals and institutions. Conclusions: Health professionals should consider the chronicity of venous ulcers and make interventions, taking into account the preferences, knowledge and skills both belonging to patients

WoundsWest education: taking the evidence on wounds to the clinician

The WoundsWest (WW) education programme is an innovative and ambitious subproject of the WW project in Western Australia (WA). It involves the interdisciplinary development of online wound management education modules, which are designed to assist health professionals and health services to reduce preventable wounds and adverse wound management outcomes. The aims, objectives and processes that underpin this development are outlined in this paper, which is illustrated with examples from the WW online education programme