Recherche de publication

OBJECTIVE

To determine the clinical effect and consequential levels of health professionals and patient satisfaction with the results of debridement episodes of wounds with visible slough and/or scaly skin using monofilament fibre debridement technology.

METHODS

This was a non-comparative, open label evaluation conducted in static/non-healing acute and chronic wounds with visible slough and/or scaly skin that required debridement. Monofilament fibre debridement technology was applied in 1-2 sequential treatment episodes during normal clinical practice which followed local practice, guidelines or formularies. Following the clinical phase of the evaluation, health professionals were invited to complete an online survey of the clinical outcomes and their satisfaction with them.

RESULTS

Survey questions were answered by 1129 health professionals. Wounds managed using the monofilament fibre debridement technology during this evaluation included leg ulcers (63%), pressure ulcers (10%), dehisced surgical wounds (3%), diabetic foot ulcers (8%) and other wounds (13%). 'Other' wound types included acute dirty wounds, burns, cellulitis, psoriasis, diabetic amputation wounds, dry flaky skin, moisture wounds, trauma, varicose eczema. Of the wounds, 12% were reported as non-static. There was visible change in the wound and/or skin after first use of the monofilament fibre debridement technology in a high proportion of all wound types, and a further increase in the proportion of wounds with visible change after the second use. The visible difference was significant for both static and non-static wounds. User and patient satisfaction with all clinical outcomes were high, whether or not the user and patient had previous experience of monofilament fibre debridement technology.

CONCLUSION

Monofilament fibre debridement technology provides rapid, visible and effective debridement of slough and scaly skin after one application and further visible improvement after two applications in static and non-static wounds. Health professionals and patients report high levels of satisfaction with outcomes following application of the monofilament fibre debridement technology.

Objective:

Acne vulgaris (acne) presents with increased oil-sebum secretion and subsequent formation of comedones, papules, pustules and nodules. Skin cleansing is part of the daily routine to improve skin condition. A monofilament debridement pad has shown to be effective when used for wound debridement and skin cleansing in dermatological conditions. The pad may offer benefits when used for acne affected skin.

Methods:

The in vitro cleansing capacity of the monofilament fibre pad was analysed and compared with commercially available cosmetic pads. For this purpose, a sebum model consisting of glass plates coated with an oil-red-stained layer of artificial sebum was used. To gain clinical experience a case series evaluated cleansing efficacy of the monofilament debridement pad in combination with polyhexanide and sodium-hypochlorite based solutions. Over a period of four months, seven individuals suffering from retentive moderate facial acne who visited the dermatology clinic for their acne used the pad as necessary, ranging from twice weekly to daily, dependent on the sensitivity of the patient's skin condition.

Results:

The in vitro study exhibited a significantly better cleansing efficacy of the monofilament debridement pad compared with the cosmetic pads. After single use of the pad subject scores on sebum reduction revealed excellent/very good in 42.9% and acceptable in 57.1% of cases. After repeated use of the monofilament pads scores on sebum reduction of excellent/very good were given in 85.7% and acceptable in 14.3% of cases. Subject scored handling of the pad and comfort during use also received favourable ratings.

Conclusion:

These initial results show the potential of the monofilament debridement pad for cleansing of acne-prone and acne affected skin. More robust studies are needed to confirm these results.

OBJECTIVE

Compression devices have been shown to reduce venous stasis, increase blood flow and skin tissue oxygenation (StO2), promoting healthy tissue. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of a new compression garment in three different positions in healthy adults.

METHODS

In this quantitative study, potential participants were screened and recruited using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q, Canada). Participants attended three separate, one-hour sessions to evaluate StO2 in supine-lying, chair-sitting and long-sitting positions. StO2 was recorded for 20 minutes pre-, during and post- a 20-minute intervention using a compression garment, TributeWrap (Lohmann-Rauscher, Germany). A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was followed by post-hoc pairwise comparisons.

RESULTS

A total of 28 healthy volunteers took part (aged 24.6 ±8.4years; 13 males, 15 females). A significant difference was seen between the three positions (p<0.001). Chair-sitting had the lowest StO2 pre-intervention, increasing StO2 significantly (32.25%, p<0.001) during wear of the compression garment (24.8% higher than baseline post-intervention). No significant difference was seen between long sitting and supine-lying (p=1.000). In contrast, long-sitting and supine-lying StO2 was higher pre-intervention compared with chair-sitting and only increased post-intervention (11% and 16.8% respectively, p<0.001) compared with baseline.

CONCLUSION

The compression garment significantly increased StO2 levels in both seating positions. Further studies are required to determine if increasing StO2 through short intervention sessions with this device has the potential to improve self-management of tissue health in individuals with reduced mobility, oedema or venous insufficiency.

BACKGROUND

Application of controlled in vitro techniques can be used as a screening tool for the development of new hemostatic agents allowing quantitative assessment of overall hemostatic potential.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Several tests were selected to evaluate the efficacy of cotton gauze, collagen, and oxidized regenerated cellulose for enhancing blood clotting, coagulation, and platelet activation.

RESULTS

Visual inspection of dressings after blood contact proved the formation of blood clots. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the adsorption of blood cells and plasma proteins. Significantly enhanced blood clot formation was observed for collagen together with β-thromboglobulin increase and platelet count reduction. Oxidized regenerated cellulose demonstrated slower clotting rates not yielding any thrombin generation; yet, led to significantly increased thrombin-anti-thrombin-III complex levels compared to the other dressings. As hemostyptica ought to function without triggering any adverse events, induction of hemolysis, instigation of inflammatory reactions, and initiation of the innate complement system were also tested. Here, cotton gauze provoked high PMN elastase and elevated SC5b-9 concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

A range of tests for desired and undesired effects of materials need to be combined to gain some degree of predictability of the in vivo situation. Collagen-based dressings demonstrated the highest hemostyptic properties with lowest adverse reactions whereas gauze did not induce high coagulation activation but rather activated leukocytes and complement.

Endoscopic negative-pressure therapy (ENPT) is becoming a valuable tool in surgical complication management of transmural intestinal defects and wounds in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Innovative materials for drains have been developed, endoscopic techniques adapted, and new indications for ENPT have been found. Based on our broad clinical experience, numerous tips and tricks are described, which contribute to the safety of dealing with the new therapy. The aim of this work is to present these methods. The focus is on describing the treatment in the esophagus.

In the current first report, it is shown how a post-laryngectomy pharyngocutaneous fistula was successfully closed by endoscopic negative pressure therapy (ENPT; also termed endoscopic vacuum therapy, EVT). The duration of negative pressure treatment was 14 days. Up until now, ENPT has been used for treatment of transmural defects in the rectum and esophagus. The new endoscopic method can also be used in the ENT field for closure of pharyngocutaneous fistulas.

A gastrointestinal (GI) transmural defect is defined as total rupture of the GI wall, and these defects can be divided into three categories: perforations, leaks, and fistulas. Surgical management of these defects is usually challenging and may be associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Recently, several novel endoscopic techniques have been developed, and endoscopy has become a first-line approach for therapy of these conditions. The use of endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) is increasing with favorable results. This technique involves endoscopic placement of a sponge connected to a nasogastric tube into the defect cavity or lumen. This promotes healing via five mechanisms, including macrodeformation, microdeformation, changes in perfusion, exudate control, and bacterial clearance, which is similar to the mechanisms in which skin wounds are treated with commonly employed wound vacuums. EVT can be used in the upper GI tract, small bowel, biliopancreatic regions, and lower GI tract, with variable success rates and a satisfactory safety profile. In this article, we review and discuss the mechanism of action, materials, techniques, efficacy, and safety of EVT in the management of patients with GI transmural defects.

BACKGROUND

The pressure exerted by a compression device on a part of the body corresponds to the dosage of the compression therapy. Therefore, the pressure course under compression materials should be investigated in different clinical situations.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Pressure measurements were carried out under different compression materials in lying, standing and walking positions within the framework of training, self-experimentation and in patients with venous leg ulcers.

RESULTS

The results showed that the pressure varied considerably depending on the material used, the firmness of application, the local configuration (body position) and the time interval between applications. A loss of pressure occurred under each compression therapy, especially under inelastic short-stretch material, mainly due to movement and edema reduction. This pressure loss is decisive for the timing of dressing changes and a reason for the good tolerance of high-pressure levels in mobile patients.

CONCLUSION

Low pressures are particularly suitable for edema reduction. Hemodynamic effects require higher pressures (60-80 mmHg). For this purpose, inelastic materials are preferred which enable lower pressures when lying down (40-60 mmHg). As compression bandages are too loosely applied by many users, pressure indicators on bandages or adaptive bandages with templates are helpful to apply the material with the correct pressure. As a consequence of these findings it is postulated that, at least in studies comparing different compression media, pressure measurements should be carried out in the future, whereby the measuring point and body position should be documented.

Anastomoseninsuffizienz (AI) des Gastrointestinaltraktes sind schwerwiegende chirurgische Komplikationen in der Visceralchirurgie, die den Patienten durch eine deutlich erhöhte Morbidität und Mortalität gefärden. Der Erfolg des operativen Eingriffes ist eingeschränkt.