International wound journal
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Automated tracking of wound-healing progress using images from smartphones can be useful and convenient for the patient to perform at home. To evaluate the feasibility, 119 images were taken with an iPhone smartphone during the treatment of a chronic wound at one patient's home. An image analysis algorithm was developed to quantitatively classify wound content as an index of wound healing. ⋯ The wound composition percentage showed a different trend from the wound area measurements, suggesting its role as a complementary metric. Overall, smartphone photography and automated image analysis is a promising cost-effective way of monitoring patients. While the current setup limits our capability of measuring wound area, future smartphones equipped with depth-sensing technology will enable accurate volumetric evaluation in addition to composition analysis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A multicentre prospective randomised controlled comparative parallel study of dehydrated human umbilical cord (EpiCord) allograft for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.
The aim of this study was to determine the safety and effectiveness of dehydrated human umbilical cord allograft (EpiCord) compared with alginate wound dressings for the treatment of chronic, non-healing diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). A multicentre, randomised, controlled, clinical trial was conducted at 11 centres in the United States. Individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes presenting with a 1 to 15 cm2 ulcer located below the ankle that had been persisting for at least 30 days were eligible for the 14-day study run-in phase. ⋯ Seventy-five subjects experienced at least one adverse event, with a total of 160 adverse events recorded. There were no adverse events related to either EpiCord or alginate dressings. These results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of EpiCord as a treatment for non-healing DFUs.
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Burn injuries constitute a major public health problem and account for a significant cause of mortality and morbidity amongst the Indian population. This 2-year prospective study was undertaken to find out the exact epidemiological determinants of 737 patients admitted with burn injuries and, thus, to try and formulate effective preventive strategies. This study was conducted in the department of plastic surgery and burns from September 2011 to June 2013. ⋯ A majority of the males (60.7%) recovered, whereas 45.89% of females succumbed because of their burn injury. (P = 0.001). As the aetiological factors of burn injuries vary considerably in different communities, careful study of the pattern in every community is needed before a sound prevention programme can be planned and implemented. Hence, this study was conducted to assess epidemiological, modes, causes, and risk factors and the microbial profile of burn injuries and to study the outcomes.
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The prevention and management of a pressure injury is a nurse-sensitive quality indicator in hospitals. Prevention and management of pressure injury practices have been found to be suboptimal despite the availability of interventions. Currently, there is a poor understanding of the mechanisms behind these interventions. ⋯ Overall, nurses strive to achieve patient safety, where pressure injuries are prevented to the best of their abilities. This study provides causal links between contextual factors, mechanisms of the prevention and management, and the outcomes achieved. Further refinement and testing of the specific mechanisms are needed and will contribute to a better understanding of how nurses prevent and manage pressure injuries.