Acute wound management: revisiting the approach to assessment, irrigation, and closure considerations

Abstract Background As millions of emergency department (ED) visits each year include wound care, emergency care providers must remain experts in acute wound management. The variety of acute wounds presenting to the ED challenge the physician to select the most appropriate management to facilitate healing. A complete wound history along with anatomic and specific medical considerations for each patient provides the basis of decision making for wound management. It is essential to apply an evidence‐based approach and consider each wound individually in order to create the optimal conditions for wound healing. Aims A comprehensive evidence‐based approach to acute wound management is an essential skill set for any emergency physician or acute care practitioner. This review provides an overview of current evidence and addresses frequent pitfalls. Methods A systematic review of the literature for acute wound management was performed. Results A structured MEDLINE search was performed regarding acute wound management including established wound care guidelines. The data obtained provided the framework for evidence‐based recommendations and current best practices for wound care. Conclusion Acute wound management varies based on the wound location and characteristics. No single approach can be applied to all wounds; however, a systematic approach to acute wound care integrated with current best practices provides the framework for exceptional wound management

The molecular signature of impaired diabetic wound healing identifies serpinB3 as a healing biomarker

Aims/hypothesis Chronic foot ulceration is a severe complication of diabetes, driving morbidity and mortality. The mechanisms underlying delaying wound healing in diabetes are incompletely understood and tools to identify such pathways are eagerly awaited. Methods Wound biopsies were obtained from 75 patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Matched subgroups of rapidly healing (RH, n = 17) and non-healing (NH, n = 11) patients were selected. Proteomic analysis was performed by labelling with isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification and mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed proteins were analysed in NH vs RH for identification of pathogenic pathways. Individual sample gene/protein validation and in vivo validation of candidate pathways in mouse models were carried out. Results Pathway analyses were conducted on 92/286 proteins that were differentially expressed in NH vs RH. The following pathways were enriched in NH vs RH patients: apoptosis, protease inhibitors, epithelial differentiation, serine endopeptidase activity, coagulation and regulation of defence response. SerpinB3 was strongly upregulated in RH vs NH wounds, validated as protein and mRNA in individual samples. To test the relevance of serpinB3 in vivo, we used a transgenic mouse model with alpha 1-antitrypsin promoter-driven overexpression of human SERPINB3. In this model, wound healing was unaffected by SERPINB3 overexpression in non-diabetic or diabetic mice with or without hindlimb ischaemia. In an independent validation cohort of 47 patients, high serpinB3 protein content was confirmed as a biomarker of healing improvement. Conclusions/interpretation We provide a benchmark for the unbiased discovery of novel molecular targets and biomarkers of impaired diabetic wound healing. High serpinB3 protein content was found to be a biomarker of successful healing in diabetic patient

Thousand Faces of Mastocytosis: Mistaken Medical Diagnoses, Patient Suffering & Gender Implications

The goals of this paper are to help a larger circle of medical professionals by creating greater awareness of Mastocytosis. Our focus is on the complexity and seriousness of the symptoms, and medical tests which are helpful in diagnosis. We include first hand experiences from 12 Mastocytosis patients who are long-term sufferers of this elusive but cruel malady. Finally, we will make recommendations to the medical community, as well as the Mastocytosis sufferers, about how to recognize and live with this disease. It is our sincere hope that our participants’ struggles and their experiences with Mastocytosis, as well as with their medical professionals, will improve the diagnostic process for Mastocytosis. It is also our sincere hope that the possible gender biases in dealing with female patients will be reduced or eradicated in the face of a plethora of Mastocytosis symptoms. It is not blame we seek, and we certainly do not wish to point fingers. Our aim is the creation of more accessible knowledge, faster diagnosis, mutual respect between patients and caregivers, and better ways of dealing with this frightening disorder

Generational Expression of Muir-Torre Syndrome in a Canadian Family

Muir-Torre syndrome (MTS) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited genodermatosis that is considered to be a phenotypic subtype of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), commonly referred to as Lynch syndrome. We describe the clinical course of a 57-year-old female patient with MTS. She has a confirmed HMSH2 mutation. Recently she presented with two nodular lesions. Histologic examination confirmed these lesions to be sebaceous neoplasms. The patient has a history of endometrial and colorectal adenocarcinoma as well as several nonspecific sebaceous lesions throughout her life. She has a confirmed extensive family history of MTS with both male and female family members harbouring either HMLH1 or HSMH2 mutations. Affected relatives have presented at different ages throughout their lives with cutaneous neoplasms and visceral malignancies, including malignancies rarely associated with MTS. MTS presents a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. The case demonstrates that the management of MTS, a potentially underreported syndrome, requires a multiprofessional approach incorporating vigilance, screening, and expert knowledge for successful diagnosis and potentially improved prognosis for patients and their families. The case also demonstrates the varied heritability of MTS and prompts the question of how MTS is expressed in succeeding generations.Peer Reviewe

Generational Expression of Muir-Torre Syndrome in a Canadian Family

Muir-Torre syndrome (MTS) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited genodermatosis that is considered to be a phenotypic subtype of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), commonly referred to as Lynch syndrome. We describe the clinical course of a 57-year-old female patient with MTS. She has a confirmed HMSH2 mutation. Recently she presented with two nodular lesions. Histologic examination confirmed these lesions to be sebaceous neoplasms. The patient has a history of endometrial and colorectal adenocarcinoma as well as several nonspecific sebaceous lesions throughout her life. She has a confirmed extensive family history of MTS with both male and female family members harbouring either HMLH1 or HSMH2 mutations. Affected relatives have presented at different ages throughout their lives with cutaneous neoplasms and visceral malignancies, including malignancies rarely associated with MTS. MTS presents a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. The case demonstrates that the management of MTS, a potentially underreported syndrome, requires a multiprofessional approach incorporating vigilance, screening, and expert knowledge for successful diagnosis and potentially improved prognosis for patients and their families. The case also demonstrates the varied heritability of MTS and prompts the question of how MTS is expressed in succeeding generations

Pain management in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, and painful inflammatory disease. HS patients' quality of life is severely impaired, and this impairment correlates strongly with their pain. Pain in HS can be acute or chronic and has both inflammatory and noninflammatory origins. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of the existing literature regarding pain management in patients with HS. While there are no formal studies investigating pain management in HS, existing recommendations are based on general pain guidelines and expert opinion. Documentation of pain requires an assessment of the severity and timing of the pain. Although anti-inflammatory drugs and surgery for HS can alleviate pain, adjunctive pain medications are typically necessary. Topical analgesics, oral acetaminophen, and oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are considered first-line agents for the treatment of pain in patients with HS. If pain management is ineffective with those agents, oral opiates can be considered. In addition, anticonvulsants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors possess neuropathic pain-relieving properties that offer not only control of HS-associated pain but beneficial effects on itch and depression. There is clearly a need for additional studies on pain management in patients with HS