Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound determines reliable and inexpensive exclusion of significant peripheral arterial disease.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of audible arterial foot signals with an audible handheld Doppler ultrasound for identification of significant peripheral arterial disease as a simple, quick, and readily available bedside screening tool.

Methods: Two hundred consecutive patients referred to an interprofessional wound care clinic underwent audible handheld Doppler ultrasound of both legs. As a control and comparator, a formal bilateral lower leg vascular study including the calculation of Ankle Brachial Pressure Index and toe pressure (TP) was performed at the vascular lab.

Quality-of-life impairment in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: a Canadian study.

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic relapsing condition with a clinical picture that includes solitary nodules; diffuse, painful abscesses; malodorous drainage; sinus tract formation; and scarring. Treatment options are often unsatisfactory. The adverse effects of this disease on quality of life (QoL) is not extensively studied, especially in the Canadian population.

Contact allergens in persons with leg ulcers: a Canadian study in contact sensitization.

Individuals with chronic leg ulcers often develop contact allergic reactions to topical preparations used to treat their wounds and the surrounding skin. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of positive patch test responses to common allergens in patients with leg ulcers or venous disease. A case series of 100 consecutive, consenting patients with chronic venous disease and other causes of leg ulcers that were available for patch testing were enrolled.

A lesson in treating the whole patient: Todd Nicholson's story.

The authors present a patients story to demonstrate the usefulness of a complete patient approach, incorporating V.A.C.

The effect of a silver-containing Hydrofiber dressing on superficial wound bed and bacterial balance of chronic wounds.

The treatment of chronic wounds represents a major cost to society and has a profound effect on the participant's quality of life. Chronic wounds may have an increased bacterial burden that can impair healing without all the clinical signs of infection. Silver dressings may provide an alternative topical method to control bacterial burden.