Quantitative skin assessment using spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) in patients with or at high risk for pressure ulcers.

Background And Objective: Pressure ulcers (PU) are a significant problem facing the health system in the United States. Here, we present preliminary case studies demonstrating feasibility of Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (SFDI) to assess skin status in high-risk populations and pre-existing wounds. SFDI is a wide-field non-contact optical imaging technology that uses structured light to obtain tissue optical properties and of tissue constituents.

Development of a Nutrition Screening Tool for an Outpatient Wound Center.

Objective: To construct a quickly and easily administered nutrition screening tool using variables believed to be predictive of malnutrition risk in the wound patient population.

Design: A prospective pilot study assessed patients on a list of suspected variables, as well as the Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), chosen as the criterion standard. Variables were analyzed to select the most appropriate items for inclusion on a new nutrition screening tool using preliminary bivariate correlations and χ tests of association.

Analysis of the Pressure Distribution Qualities of a Silicone Border Foam Dressing.

Purpose: To determine whether application of a silicone foam dressing is associated with decreased interface pressures when applied to the heel.

Design: Prospective, within-subjects design.

Subjects And Setting: The study was conducted in a community-based hospital using a convenience sample of 50 healthy volunteers with a mean age of 39.

Collect Data, Tell Stories: Utilizing Available Data to Improve Wound Product Selection, Reduce Costs, and Improve Outcomes.

To develop a tool to assist in the evaluation of treatment options based on clinically relevant parameters, thus enabling clinicians to heal patients more efficiently. Outlined here is the prototypic model of a comprehensive analysis tool to compare products by category, accounting for product characteristics, effectiveness data from literature, costs, and patient needs or clinician preferences. The tool is demonstrated with a venous leg ulcer example, and ideas for expanding the tool in the future are provided.

Wound dressing absorption: a comparative study.

The purpose of this study was to compare absorption properties of a variety of wound dressing products that are available on the market. A simple, inexpensive method of evaluation was utilized so that new dressings could easily be tested and added to the data set.