Ultrasound in Wound Management

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Ultrasound was used successfully for years as a non-invasive diagnostic tool before its potential benefits in wound healing were first investigated.1 Ultrasound waves, formed when electrical energy is converted to sound waves at frequencies above the range of human hearing, are now used routinely in wound management and can be transferred to tissue through a…

The Healing Effects of Electrical Stimulation

Electrical currents within the human skin were discovered as far back as 1860, and it has since been shown that the skin surface is negatively charged compared with the deeper skin layers, and that wounds have a positive potential compared to the surrounding intact skin. Electrical Stimulation Current Types Knowledge of the underlying electrical activity…

Ensuring Healthcare Job Security in a Faltering Economy

The jobless rate in the United States has now surpassed 9%. Every industry, including health care, must tighten their purse strings in order to remain viable in today’s tough economic climate. Part of this strategy may be the retention of employees that can offer organizations the most value for their money. How can you ensure…

Wound Care In A Spin – Whirlpool Therapy

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Whirlpool therapy, or hydrotherapy, is one of the oldest adjuvant forms of treatment for wounds still in use today.1,2 It was originally used in the management of pain, but later found a use in wound management, in particular in the management of burns patients. It is now commonly used to facilitate debridement in infected wounds,…

Smart Wound Dressings

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Many wound dressings fall into standard categories; foams,  hydrogels, and hydrocolloids for example. Although different dressings within these categories have slightly different features, all dressings within a category offer broadly similar properties. These dressings can all be placed on a continuum of occlusion ranging from gauze dressing at the least occlusive end to latex at…

The Importance of Maintaining Moisture Balance

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Before the seminal research of the 1960s, it was widely believed that wound healing could be encouraged by maintaining a dry wound bed. Despite all the evidence amassed over the intervening years to confirm the benefits of maintaining a moist healing environment, many patients still appear skeptical and instinctively averse to the idea of moisture…

Managing Wound Infections

The effective and efficient management of wound infections is one of the most important skills for the wound care professional to master. Regardless of any other intervention that is applied, no matter how sophisticated, a wound will not properly heal if an untreated infection is present. Topical Antimicrobials Antimicrobial therapy is key to managing wound…