Preliminary experience of an expert panel using Triangle Wound Assessment for the evaluation of chronic wounds.

Objective: Wound assessment is an essential part of wound management and has traditionally focused on the wound bed. The Triangle of Wound Assessment (Triangle) is a new assessment tool that includes a holistic evaluation of the patient with a wound. The aim of this pilot study was to describe the use of the Triangle in our clinical practice in Spain.

[Dressings impregnated in antibacterial agent: multicenter study on acute and chronic wounds, with Atrauman Ag].

Unlabelled: Ulcers and chronic wounds are an ideal medium for bacterial growth. This growth occurs in both number and variety of species, resulting in lesions with polymicrobial flora. The use of antimicrobial treatments to control and/or prevention of infection is discussed.

[Care for ulcers having diverse etiology prospective study on PermaFoam].

PermaFoam, the dressing under study, is characterized as a polyurethane foam having gradient pores which, besides all the aforementioned characteristics, makes it possible to: rapidly absorb large quantity of seepage or exudation, cell remains and viscous seepage thanks to a layer of large size pores that are in contact with the wound; distribute and retain seepage in an intermediate layer of this dressing which is composed of pores having a smaller diameter; and, through a final layer characterized by an even smaller pore which permits a high degree of semi-permeability and adaptability to the distinct locales where this dressing needs be applied. With the objective to evaluate the usefulness of this dressing under study for the cicatrization of wounds having diverse etiology this research project was carried out. Secondary objectives included: reducing the surface of a wound, respecting the perilesional skin, estimating the ease of handling and applying this dressing, and identifying the most outstanding qualities this dressing provides.

[Skin care and prevention of bed sores in bedridden patients].

The aging process and environmental aggressions will leave their imprints on the state of a person's skin, possibly compromising some of its functions. Age is a risk factor for the development of bed sores, but not the only factor nor the most important one; therefore, we need to develop prevention programs directed to all patients who spend long periods of time sedentary or bedridden. Prevention programs for bed sores must be based on the best evidence available and include a risk evaluation on these factors: suffering a lesion due to pressure, specific skin treatment, incontinence control, excessive humidity posture changes and the use of special surfaces to manage pressure during an increase in mobility or activity by the patient, local pressure reducing devices as well as paying attention to special situations.

[Infections and chronic wounds: current state of knowledge].

An infection in a wound, whether serious or chronic, is one of the main problems and complications which can occur a reason why infections have always caused worry. Although the published evidence regarding infections in wounds is very scarce, in recent years many advances have taken place in the determination of some concepts such as "TIME" or the preparation of the bed of a wound or in the use of silver as a very apt element in some situations. The following article goes into detail about these topics and forms part of the content the authors presented in the VI National Symposium on Bed Sores and Chronic Wounds.

[Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the dressing PermaFoam for the treatment of chronic ulcers].

Introduction: The presence on the market of new dressings to cure injuries makes it necessary for professionals to know their peculiarities for use in order to optimize their applications. The main objective of this study is to know the clinical behavior of a polymer sponge dressing having a porous grade called PermaFoam in the treatment of chronic ulcers caused by various etiologies.

Material And Methods: The authors carried out an open observational, prospective and multi-centric study during the first semester in 2004 on patients who suffered from chronic lesions sent by the Primary Health Care Centers and Social-Sanitary Centers.

[Society and chronic wounds. Thoughts to stop invisibility].

The authors presented a conference at the 5th National Symposium on Bedsores, or Decubitus Ulcers, and Chronic Injuries which dealt with all the dimensions related to this problem: epidemiological data, economic costs, social repercussions and possible alternative treatments; their goal was to raise the consciousness of nursing professionals so that they realize decubitus ulcers are a public health problem for which a solution exists if nursing professionals so desire.

[Hydro-cellular dressing and silver sulfadiazine. Evaluation of its combination in the treatment of infected skin ulcers].

The authors carried out an observational, descriptive, prospective and multi-centric study on 49 infected lesions which had clinical signs of local infection as well as infection from a positive sprinkler method culture. These lesions were treated over a three week period with argentic sulfadiazine and a semi-permeable dressing; afterward, treatment continued for seven weeks more based on cures in a humid environment by means of a semi-permeable dressing. After three weeks of treatment, two-thirds of these lesions showed a negative exudative culture, the number of strains present in the rest of the cultures diminished to at least half of those present at the start of this study.

[Collagen powder dressing in the treatment of pressure ulcer. Multicenter comparative study assessing effectiveness and cost].

Introduction: Pressure ulcers are lesions that usually occur to people to whom the social and economical repercusions are quite serious. Although present treatments with moisture cure dressings are efficient and have a lot of advantages than traditional cure, they do not solve the problem in a significant group of patients, whose ulcers do not heal or need a much longer treatment. Collagen dressings represent an important improvement, since collagen is a key element for wound scarring.