Advances in wound care
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Infection is a major problem in the health and wellbeing of patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities as well as the homecare patients and the general public. According to Scientia Advisors, wound care costs the healthcare system over $7 billion in 2009. After adding the cost associated with potential complications such as infections, extended physician care, and lengthy hospital stays, the annual wound care expenditures well exceeded over $20 billion.1 There are 20 million reported cases of diabetes per year and more every day. Because of the fact that leg ulcers are the number one health problem of men coupled with the rise in drug resistance of infections, the importance of providing the professional and the public with relatively simple and affordable wound care is of extreme importance. Often the wounds can become chronic wounds, which then result in long-term nursing expense in time and supplies or, worse yet, can result in expensive amputations ranging from $5000 to $40,000 per patient. ⋯ Elasto-Gel™ is not approved for third-degree burns as no dressing has been approved by the FDA for this type of wound.
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Advances in wound care · Feb 2012
PolyMem(®) Wic(®) Silver(®) Rope: A Multifunctional Dressing for Decreasing Pain, Swelling, and Inflammation.
Choosing the most appropriate dressing to meet the complex needs of patients with narrow deep wounds, such as tunnels, fistulas, and cysts, is a daunting task. Such wounds are difficult to cleanse and tend to be extremely painful. Wound patients need a drug-free dressing that handles exudates, decreases the need for traumatic cleansing during dressing changes, and addresses wound pain, inflammation, and swelling. ⋯ PolyMem dressings enhance autolytic debridement, which often results in production of large quantities of pale yellow enzyme- and nutrient-rich wound fluid during the first treatment week. Extra-absorbent PolyMem Max secondary dressings can contain excess fluid.