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Arch Med Sci Atheroscler Dis 2018 15;3:e35-e40. Epub 2018 Feb 15.

Shanghai Xin Hua Hospital affiliated to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Introduction: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a major risk factor of coronary artery disease and a major complication of atherosclerosis. Peripheral arterial disease can be diagnosed with simple and low cost techniques. There are major risk factors of PAD that have been studied for different countries. Read More

Pediatr Dermatol 2019 Feb 17. Epub 2019 Feb 17.

Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis is an idiopathic degenerative process that presents as a painful nodule, papule, or ulcer on the helix or antihelix. It predominantly affects adults and is thought to be associated with trauma to the ear. We describe a case of pediatric chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis occurring in a child with a history of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome that was successfully treated with an excisional biopsy and relief from a recurrent source of pressure on the ear. Read More

BMJ Open 2019 Feb 15;9(2):e024633. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Pressure ulcers (PUs) have a high incidence, especially in hospital units. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of therapeutic interventions for PU should include a clear description of the outcomes and results to enhance transparency and replicability.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to assess the completeness of the descriptions of the outcomes of therapeutic interventions in RCTs in adult patients with PU. Read More

Gait Posture 2019 Feb 4;70:6-11. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Physiotherapy, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address:

Background: Previous reliability studies on peak plantar pressure measurements in patients with previous diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) did not stratify their analyses according to whether the foot had a previous ulcer.

Research Question: Does test-retest reliability of peak foot pressure measurements from the various foot regions differ between the ulcerated and non-ulcerated feet?

Methods: Data from 23 participants with peripheral neuropathy and healed plantar DFU were analysed in this test-retest reliability comparison study. Plantar pressure was evaluated on two sessions using Pedar-X in-shoe system, with a mean of 7. Read More

J Pediatr Orthop B 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

Cast immobilization is a noninvasive and effective option in the treatment of fractures in children. However, its use can be associated with complications, such as pressure sores, skin infections, thermal injuries, and joint stiffness. In clinical practice, retained foreign objects in casts are not uncommon. Read More

IEEE J Biomed Health Inform 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Pressure ulcer prevention is a vital procedure for patients undergoing long-term hospitalization. A human body lying posture (HBLP) monitoring system is essential to reschedule posture change for patients. Video-surveillance, the conventional method of HBLP monitoring, suffers from various limitations, such as subject's privacy, and field-of view obstruction. Read More

PLoS One 2019 13;14(2):e0210978. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.

Pressure ulcers, by definition, are caused by external forces on the tissues, often in the regions of bony prominences. Wheelchair users are at risk to develop sitting-acquired pressure ulcers, which occur in the regions of the ischial tuberosities, sacrum/coccyx or greater trochanters. As a means to prevent pressure ulcers, instruction on performing pressure reliefs or weight shifts are a part of the rehabilitation process. Read More

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2018 24;5(10):000952. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Lisbon, Portugal.

Ischaemic ulcers of the lower limb can have several aethiopathological mechanisms. For instance, the uncommon Martorell hypertensive leg ulcer is an infrequent complication of long-term uncontrolled arterial hypertension and is largely ignored and underdiagnosed. The typical ulcer is on the lower leg, is extremely painful and presents in female patients over 60 years of age with cardiovascular risk factors, mainly severe arterial hypertension. Read More

Tunis Med 2018 Oct-Nov;96(10-11):774-788

Background: Despite the wealth of knowledge on hospital performance, the majority of health facilities in the Maghreb don't have yet a Balanced Scorecard for its measurement.

Objective: Elaborate, through a systematic review of the biomedical literature, a Balanced Scorecard for hospital performance, consisting of indicators of quality of care, highly recommended and suitable for the professional and managerial contexts of Greater Maghreb health systems.

Materials And Methods:   This is a "systematic review" study on the topic of indicators to measure hospital performance. Read More

J Endovasc Ther 2019 Feb 11:1526602819829904. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

2 Radiology Department, Policlinico Tor Vergata, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-frequency, high-intensity ultrasound energy delivered via a new dedicated ultrasound catheter followed by conventional balloon angioplasty to treat calcified infrapopliteal lesions.

Materials And Methods: A prospective, nonrandomized, single-center pilot study enrolled 12 patients (mean age 72.2±5. Read More

Inquiry 2019 Jan-Dec;56:46958018825191

4 The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.

This study examines the relationship between nursing home quality and financial performance to assess whether there is a business case for quality. Secondary data sources included the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR), Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting (CASPER), Medicare Cost Reports, Minimum Data Set (MDS 2.0), Area Resource File (ARF), and LTCFocus for all free-standing, nongovernment nursing homes for 2000 to 2014. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Feb 7;12(2). Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, Pondicherry, India.

A 16-years-old girl presented to our institution with history of severe bilateral headache for 5 days associated with vomiting. She also had fever for 2 months without any localising symptoms and skin lesions for 1 month. Examination revealed erythematous rash over bridge of nose and ear lobes, ulcer over hard palate and tenderness of small joints of both hands. Read More

Scand J Caring Sci 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Family Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey.

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of health literacy of the patient caregiver on the care results of palliative care patients.

Methods: Two hundred and forty-two patients who were hospitalised in palliative care units of seven hospitals in the city in January 2018 were involved in the study. Mortality of the patients was checked 3 months later. Read More

Scand J Caring Sci 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Nursing, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Talavera de la Reina, Spain.

Background: Pressure ulcers represent an important worldwide public health problem, which substantially decrease the quality of life of those affected. Yet, few studies to date have analysed the perceptions regarding home care for pressure ulcers.

Aims: To explore the conceptualisations regarding home care of pressure ulcers from the perspective of affected patients and their caregivers. Read More

Wound Manag Prev 2019 Feb;65(2):39-47

Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Burdur, Turkey.

Nurses should be highly knowledgeable about and have a positive attitude toward pressure ulcer (PU) prevention.

Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in 6 hospitals in Turkey to identify their PU prevention knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of barriers to care.

Methods: The study was conducted between January 1, 2017, and April 30, 2017, using supervised self-reporting, among nurses working in the ICUs of 3 education and research hospitals, 2 university hospitals, and a private hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Read More

Wound Manag Prev 2019 Feb;65(2):20-28

Istanbul University, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey.

Pressure ulcers (PUs) are a common problem with serious health care implications.

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess PU prevalence, incidence, clinical features, nursing care measures, and patient variables and outcomes among inpatients admitted to 13 internal medicine departments at a university hospital in Turkey between 2010 and 2014.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional, retrospective design, records of all hospitalized patients were reviewed and records from patients with a PU abstracted. Read More

Wound Manag Prev 2019 Feb;65(2):14-19

UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA.

Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers/injuries (HAPU/I) have been a major focus of research, but information about community-acquired pressure ulcer/injuries (CAPU/I) is limited.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare HAPU/I and CAPU/I in a 620-bed academic medical center in the western United States.

Methods: This descriptive study involved prospective/retrospective data collected from the National Data for Nursing Quality Indicators, including pressure ulcer stage (January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2017); the hospital's incident reporting system (January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017); electronic medical records (EMR) as needed for verification; and the hospital's pressure ulcer registry (January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2017), developed by both EMR and manual extraction. Read More

Spinal Cord Ser Cases 2019 5;5:15. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

2Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak-124001 Haryana, India.

Introduction: Trochanteric pressure ulcers (PrUs) are difficult to treat and are often complicated by infection spreading to the hip joint. We review three cases from India where proximal femoral resection and pedicled Tensor Fascia Lata (TFL) flapping was used in the management of infected deep trochanteric ulcers communicating to the hip joint.

Case Presentation: Three patients had a total of four trochanteric PrUs communicating to the hip joint. Read More

J Wound Care 2019 Jan;28(Sup1):S4-S13

Drug and Herbal Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Objective:: Objectives. To determine the prevalence and risk factors for diabetic foot infection (DFI), and to identify factors associated with delayed wound healing of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).

Method:: The retrospective study was performed in a referral wound care clinic in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Read More

Wounds 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.

Introduction: Ischial pressure ulcers are considered the most difficult type of pressure ulcers (PUs) to treat.

Objective: The authors report the use of a pedicled anterolateral thigh (pALT) myocutaneous flap as an alternative for covering an ischial PU.

Materials And Methods: The authors retrospectively collected the data of 21 patients with an indurated recurrent ischial ulcer or a fresh ischial ulcer. Read More

Foot Ankle Surg 2019 Jan 26. Epub 2019 Jan 26.

Prof. M. Viswanathan Diabetes Research Centre, West Mada Church Street, Royapuram, Chennai, 600013, India. Electronic address:

Background Increasing prevalence of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and subsequent foot amputation in persons with type 2 diabetic neuropathy is a well known fact. The present study was aimed to identify the initial risk marker for DFU. Methods Dynamic plantar pressure analysis was done for persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without neuropathy (D), patients with diabetic neuropathy (DN) with normal foot profile and healthy persons with normal foot profile (C). Read More

Ann Vasc Surg 2019 Jan 30. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Division of Vascular Surgery, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA; Division of Vascular Surgery, Long Beach Memorial Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach, CA.

Introduction: Dynamic compliance (Cd) of the adult thoracic ascending and arch aorta has had limited evaluation in vivo in patients with aortic disease. This study evaluates aortic compliance using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) across a range of thoracic aortic diseases.

Methods: Seventy-nine patients undergoing thoracic aortic endovascular procedures had Cd measurements of the ascending aorta proximal to the origin of the brachiocephalic trunk and distal to the origin of the left common carotid artery using IVUS prior to endograft deployment. Read More

Indian J Gastroenterol 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of Gastroenterology, Gleneagles Global Health City, 439, Cheran Nagar, Chennai, 600 100, India.

The causative factors for hemorrhoids, anal fissure, and solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) are poorly understood. The study was done to identify the prevalence of fecal evacuation disorders in patients with anal fissure, hemorrhoids, and SRUS using anorectal manometry (ARM). Retrospective analysis of ARM data from three centers across India was done. Read More

J Reprod Infertil 2018 Oct-Dec;19(4):247-249

Department of Pathology, Yas Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Bowel endometriosis affects about 3.8-37% of women with endometriosis diagnosis. Most of the time endometriosis involves the recto-sigmoid. Read More

Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle) 2019 Jan 5;8(1):1-6. Epub 2019 Jan 5.

Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Medical Research Laboratory, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

The development of in-hospital acquired pressure ulcers (PUs) is of great concern for both patients and professionals in health care. Based on the hypothesis that identification of patients who are prone to develop PU will enhance preventive measures in this group of patients, we investigated a new tool, Qscale, for in-hospital prediction of PU. A total of 383 patients were recruited from three departments. Read More

Ann Dermatol Venereol 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Service de médecine vasculaire, groupe hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph, 185, rue Raymond-Losserand, 75014 Paris, France.

Background: Topical chlormethine has been widely used in the early stages of mycosis fungoides for many years. Cutaneous reactions (skin irritation and itch) are the most frequent adverse effects. Herein we report a rare side effect: severe necrotic leg ulcers. Read More

J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother 2019 Jan 31:1-5. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Pain from pressure ulcers can severely impact a patient's quality of life. Evidence-based treatment of ulcer-related pain typically relies on systemic opioids with limiting side effects. Literature exists on the use of topical ketamine for neuropathic pain, but not for tissue injury in general and for decubitus ulcer pain specifically. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019 01 31;1:CD006471. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland, D2.

Background: Use of pressure ulcer risk assessment tools or scales is a component of the assessment process used to identify individuals at risk of developing a pressure ulcer. Use of a risk assessment tool is recommended by many international pressure ulcer prevention guidelines, however it is not known whether using a risk assessment tool makes a difference to patient outcomes. We conducted a review to provide a summary of the evidence pertaining to pressure ulcer risk assessment in clinical practice, and this is the third update of this review. Read More

Worldviews Evid Based Nurs 2019 Feb 30;16(1):29-35. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Department of Surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.

Background: In previous studies about performance or factors affecting pressure ulcer (PU) care, old tools with nonupdated contents about the prevention and intervention of PU have been mainly used. Thus, there is little known how well evidence-based PU care is performed and what its' influencing factors are recently.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the PU care performance, based on evidence-based practice guidelines, and identify factors affecting it while considering nurses' individual and institutional characteristics. Read More

Rev Lat Am Enfermagem 2019 Jan 17;27:e3117. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.

Objectives: to evaluate and classify patients according to the Risk Assessment Scale for Perioperative Pressure Injuries; verify the association between sociodemographic and clinical variables and the risk score; and identify the occurrence of pressure injuries due to surgical positioning.

Method: observational, longitudinal, prospective and quantitative study carried out in a teaching hospital with 278 patients submitted to elective surgeries. A sociodemographic and clinical characterization questionnaire and the Risk Assessment Scale for Perioperative Pressure Injuries were used. Read More

Int Wound J 2019 Jan 29. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Patients who are immobile endure prolonged bodyweight-related compressive, tensional and shear loads at their body-support contact areas that over time may lead to the onset of pressure ulcers (PUs). Approximately, one-third of the common sacral PUs are severe and classified as category 3 or 4. If a PU has occurred, off-loading is the basic, commonly accepted clinical intervention; however, in many situations, complete off-loading of sacral PUs is not possible. Read More

Wounds 2019 Jan;31(1):E5-E8

UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA.

A pressure ulcer/injury (PU/I) is caused by multiple factors with sustained pressure being the major contributor to its development. This pressure may be measured by a health care provider using a pressure mapping device in order to assess pressure distribution properties of surfaces used. This educational article describes a general overview, the value, how to perform, and how to incorporate pressure mapping into clinical practice. Read More

Int Wound J 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.

Our objective was to estimate the US national cost burden of hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) using economic simulation methods. We created a Markov simulation to estimate costs for staged pressure injuries acquired during hospitalisation from the hospital perspective. The model analysed outcomes of hospitalised adults with acute illness in 1-day cycles until all patients were terminated at the point of discharge or death. Read More

Stem Cells Int 2018 30;2018:4789568. Epub 2018 Dec 30.

Burn Institute, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Fibroblasts synthesize and secrete dermal collagen, matrix proteins, growth factors, and cytokines. These characteristics of fibroblasts provide a potential way for fibroblast therapy to treat skin ulcers more effectively than conventional therapies such as cytokine therapy and negative pressure wound therapy. However, the obstacle to the commercialization of fibroblast therapy is the limited supply of cells with consistent quality. Read More

Arch Plast Surg 2019 Jan 15;46(1):75-78. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Gyeongju, Korea.

It is difficult to differentiate acute skin failure (ASF) from pressure ulcer (PU). ASF is defined as unavoidable injury resulting from hypoperfusion caused by severe dysfunction of another organ system. We describe a case of ASF mistaken as PU that resulted in a legal dispute. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Jan;98(4):e14231

Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Republic of Korea.

Rationale: Pressure ulcers can frequently occur in spinal cord injured patients living in wheelchairs. Therefore, to manage the cushion in sitting posture is important for preventing ulcers.

Patient Concerns: The patients visited seating clinic in rehabilitation hospital for uncomfortable sitting posture. Read More

Diabetes 2019 Jan 24. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

UMR CNRS 5305, Laboratoire de Biologie Tissulaire et Ingénierie thérapeutique, Lyon, France.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a problem worldwide and prevention is crucial. We hypothesized that the inability of the skin to respond to pressure is involved in DFU pathogenesis and could be an important predictive factor to take into account.We included 29 patients with DFU and 30 patients with type 2 diabetes without DFU. Read More

Trials 2019 Jan 24;20(1):77. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 71, 5053, Bergen, Norway.

Background: Individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are prone to pressure ulcers (PUs) because of the loss of sensorimotor function involved as well as increased skin moisture. Treatment of PU after SCI is complicated, involving different specialties and with need for long-lasting follow-up. This study should identify risk factors for PU after SCI, and find an effective and less time-consuming treatment for the condition among different available methods for follow-up. Read More

Zhonghua Shao Shang Za Zhi 2019 Jan;35(1):40-47

Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College, Zunyi 563003, China.

To investigate the effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs) from type 2 diabetes mellitus patients on wound healing of pressure ulcers in mice. (1) In September 2016, the subcutaneous adipose tissue of a 60-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus was harvested, and then AMSCs were extracted by collagenase digestion and cultured. The third passage of cells were used for subsequent experiments. Read More

Zhonghua Shao Shang Za Zhi 2019 Jan;35(1):18-24

Burn Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China.

To compare the tissue morphology and gene expressions of inflammatory and repair-related factors in chronic refractory wound tissue including pressure ulcers and diabetic feet. During August 2016 to September 2017, 10 samples of prepuce were collected after circumcision of 10 urological patients [all male, aged (38±4) years old] admitted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University and included in normal skin group, samples of tissue around the edge of wounds with blood supply were collected from 9 heat or electric burn patients [6 male patients, 3 female patients, aged (51±8) years old], 13 pressure ulcer patients [9 male patients, 4 female patients, aged (51±14) years old] and 10 diabetic foot patients [8 male patients, 2 female patients, aged (61±10) years old] during the operations. The samples were divided into burn wound group (9 samples), pressure ulcer group (13 samples), and diabetic foot group (10 samples). Read More

Ulster Med J 2019 Jan 22;88(1):17-20. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Department of Respiratory Medicine & Physiology, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, B9 5SS, UK.

Background: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a valuable treatment in the management of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. NIV is not without risks. One such adverse effect is the development of pressure ulcers over the nasal bridge which have an incidence of up to 20% of patients requiring NIV in this setting. Read More

Phlebology 2019 Jan 24:268355519825590. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

3 Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.

Compression bandaging remains the 'gold standard' intervention for the treatment of venous leg ulcers. Numerous studies have investigated the effect of a large variety of compression bandaging techniques and materials on venous leg ulcer healing. However, the majority of these studies failed to monitor both actual bandage application pressures and the bandaging competency of participating clinicians. Read More

Int Wound J 2019 Jan 22. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Department of Vascular Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

The prevalence of chronic wounds in the Helsinki metropolitan area in 2008 was investigated. Thereafter, a specialised wound care team was founded as part of the City of Helsinki Health Services, aiming for early diagnoses of chronic wounds. In the current study, we have repeated the prevalence study to analyse the changes in the prevalence of chronic wounds. Read More

Wound Repair Regen 2019 Jan 22. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Department of Veterinary Pre-Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Frequent repositioning is important to prevent pressure ulcer (PU) development, by relieving pressure and recovering damages on skin areas induced by repetitive loading. Although repositioning is the gold standard to prevent PU, there is currently no strategy for determining tissue condition under preventive approaches. In this study, the peak reactive hyperemia (RH) trends and ultrasonographic (US) features are compared with the tissue condition under histopathological examination to determine the potential use of these features in determining the tissue condition noninvasively. Read More

J Am Acad Dermatol 2019 Jan 18. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118.

Prevention has been a primary goal of pressure ulcer research. Despite such efforts, pressure ulcers remain common in hospitals and the community. Moreover, pressure ulcers often become chronic wounds that are difficult to treat and tend to recur after healing. Read More

J Am Acad Dermatol 2019 Jan 18. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118.

Though preventable in the vast majority of cases, pressure ulcers continue to pose a major burden to the individual and society, affecting up to 3 million adults annually in the United States alone. Despite increased national attention over the past 20 years, the prevalence of pressure ulcers has largely remained unchanged, while associated costs of care continue to increase. Dermatologists can play a significant role in pressure ulcer prevention by becoming aware of at-risk populations and implementing suitable preventive strategies. Read More

J Tissue Viability 2019 Jan 11. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Curtin University, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, Australia; LaTrobe University, Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Australia; Australian National University, ANU Medical School, Academic Unit of General Practice, Australia.

Aim: The European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, the Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance, and the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel are updating the 'Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: Clinical Practice Guideline' (CPG) in 2019. The aim of this contribution is to summarize and to discuss the guideline development protocol for the 2019 update.

Methods: A guideline governance group determines and monitors all steps of the CPG development. Read More

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2018 Dec 21;92:50-57. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Regenerative Engineering & Materials, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Pressure-induced deep tissue injury is a form of pressure ulcer which is difficult to detect and diagnose at an early stage, before the wound has severely progressed and becomes visible at the skin surface. At the present time, no such detection technique is available. To test the hypothesis that muscle damage biomarkers can be indicative of the development of deep tissue injury after sustained mechanical loading, an indentation test was performed for 2 h on the tibialis anterior muscle of rats. Read More

Adv Skin Wound Care 2019 Feb;32(2):81-84

Peter G. Wirsing, MD, is Head of the Wound Center, Ostalb-Klinikum Aalen, Germany. Maria Konstantakaki is a researcher and Konstantinos A. Poulas, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Greece. The authors have disclosed no financial relationships related to this article. Submitted March 31, 2018; accepted in revised form June 22, 2018.

Martorell's ulcers are hard-to-heal leg ulcers typically accompanied by a significant elevation of blood pressure and severe pain. This case study examines the use of an innovative technology, wireless microcurrent stimulation, for the healing of a Martorell's ulcer. Using wireless microcurrent stimulation, study authors managed to reduce the size of a large Martorell's ulcer by 90% within 8 weeks. Read More