The Role of Telemedicine in Wound Care: A Review and Analysis of a Database of 5,795 Patients from a Mobile Wound-Healing Center in Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

Background: Telemedicine in wound care is an evolving method of information technology and telecommunication designed to provide health care at a distance. Given the visual nature of wound care, telemedicine has many potential applications within this field. The authors will review the current status of wound care and telemedicine.

Clinical impact of negative-pressure wound therapy: a 1,126-patient observational prospective study.

Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) was developed in the early 1990s and reported in 1997 by Argenta and Morykwas. Ignored at first, this technique progressively came to be considered as an outstanding advancement in reconstructive surgery. Several randomized controlled studies produced evidence for the effect of NPWT on promotion of granulation tissue formation and prevention of tissue damage and amputation.

[Incorrect use and complications of negative pressure therapy].

The specific training of teams as recommended by the French National Authority for Health in its document drawn up in January 2011 relating to the use of negative pressure therapy (NPT) is unfortunately rarely effective. The recognition of expertise in wounds and cicatrisation, the constitution of a multidisciplinary network as well as the use of information and communication technologies in the field of healthcare can provide nurses with the teaching and supervision required to master this technique.

Negative pressure wound therapy with saline instillation: 131 patient case series.

Negative pressure wound therapy combined with timed, cyclical instillation (NPWTi) of topical wound solutions has been recently presented as a new adjunctive modality for treating wounds with signs of infection. Normal saline, antiseptics and antimicrobials all have been proposed in scientific and clinical studies as potentially effective when used with NPWTi for treating heavily infected wounds. This is a prospective clinical study of 131 patients with 131 wounds treated with NPWTi using saline between January 2012 and December 2012 in two orthopaedic centres and one surgical wound healing centre in France.

Cavity wounds management: a multicentre pilot study.

The objective of this study was to assess acceptability (based on pain at removal), efficacy and tolerance of an absorbent and cohesive rope(UrgoClean Rope, Laboratoires Urgo) in the local management of deep cavity wounds. This study was a prospective, multicentre (13), non comparative clinical study. Patients presenting with an acute or chronic non-infected cavity wound were followed up for four weeks and assessed weekly with a physical examination, in addition to volumetric,planimetric and photographic evaluations.

[Diagnosis and treatment of chronic wound infections].

The treatment of chronic wounds is slow and difficult and the presence of an infection can further delay the healing. Diagnosis of this infection is clinical. It must be accompanied by targeted sampling carried out in accordance with a specific technique in order to adapt the treatment as best as possible.

Coblation technology for surgical wound debridement: principle, experimental data, and technical data.

Debridement is required to prepare the wound bed, essentially in removing undesired tissues observed both in acute wound after burns or trauma and in chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers, leg ulcers, and diabetic foot ulcers. Surgical debridement has been described as one of the most effective methods but can be contraindicated in the elderly, arteriopathic context, or patients under effective anticoagulation. Recently described debridement technologies are based on application of important mechanical severing forces over the wound surface using high-power hydrojets.

The use of noncellularized artificial dermis in the prevention of scar contracture and hypertrophy.

Abnormal scarring occurring after wounds and burns remains a major source of functional and cosmetic disorders. The dermal part of the skin is recognized as playing a major role in the contraction process. The skin dermis may be involved in superficial wounds, but when the basal membrane and the sources of keratinocytes, like hair follicles and adnexa, are left intact, little visible scarring is observed.

[The recommendations of the French National Authority for Health on negative pressure wound therapy].

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) cannot be assessed by experts without the guarantee of randomised trials validated by the French National Authority for Health (HAS). NPWT techniques are recommended by the HAS, under certain conditions, in hospital surgical departments with home hospital follow-up care.