Last week, I had a medical representative come into the wound care center to see the use of one of her company’s products on a patient I was treating. While I was examining the patient, she expressed curiosity at the proud flesh granulation tissue she saw on the venous stasis ulcer. After telling her that… Continue reading Keys To Diagnosing And Addressing Hypergranulation Tissue

I often have patients at the wound center who get referrals to me for care after a venous ablation procedure. I researched the procedure to explore what is involved and when we should be referring patients to a vein clinic or a vascular surgeon. In order to understand what venous ablation entails, we need to… Continue reading When Should You Refer Patients For Venous Ablation?

I recently referred a patient who has a chronic ulceration for a vascular consult. Non-invasive testing included ankle/brachial index (ABI), toe/brachial index (TBI), pulse volume recordings (PVR), skin perfusion pressure (SPP) and transcutaneous oxygen (TCOM or TcPO2). Macrocirculation in the lower extremity occurs through the posterior tibialis artery, anterior tibial artery and the peroneal arteries,… Continue reading How Measuring Transcutaneous Oxygen Can Help Evaluate Wound Healing Potential

This is a follow up to my previous blog post regarding venous ablation procedures. I recently had an eye-opening conversation with a vascular surgeon, Jane Lingelbach, MD, with whom I work closely at Healogics Wound Care Center. She recently expressed why there is a delay of treatment from the time of a requested consult to… Continue reading Facilitating Insurance Coverage For Venous Ablation Procedures

I often have patients at the wound center who get referrals to me for care after a venous ablation procedure. I researched the procedure to explore what is involved and when we should be referring patients to a vein clinic or a vascular surgeon. In order to understand what venous ablation entails, we need to… Continue reading When Should You Refer Patients For Venous Ablation?

At my wound center, I recently had several patients whom I was treating for leg ulcers. At first glance, the ulcers seemed like classic venous wounds. After reviewing the patient histories, the one thing that they all had in common was a history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). If one refers to venous stasis syndrome… Continue reading Managing Postthrombotic Syndrome Following DVT

The extracellular matrix is the largest component of normal skin, providing skin with its properties of compressibility, elasticity and tensile strength.1 It is comprised of connective tissues and fibers that provide support but are not part of a cell The extracellular matrix’s cellular scaffolding signals the direct cells to divide, differentiate and build themselves into… Continue reading Revisiting The Role Of Extracellular Matrices In Wounds

While attending a conference a several weeks ago, I ran into a colleague whose passion and expertise, like mine, is wound care. Our conversation centered upon the topic of nutrition and how often as doctors, we omit the patient’s dietary habits in our treatment strategies. We are so focused on healing the wound that we… Continue reading Remembering Nutritional Analysis In The Wound Care Patient

Recently my organization, the American Association for Women Podiatrists, hosted a scientific conference in San Diego. One of the speakers was Marie Williams, DPM, who discussed the advances in regenerative medicine in wound care. Listening to her presentation left me with more questions. Here is what I found. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… Continue reading A Closer Look At Amniotic Membrane Allografts For Wounds

Recently, I performed an incision and drainage on a patient with gas gangrene. I consulted an infectious disease specialist who said the patient had developed infective endocarditis. Prior to this, I knew very little about the condition. Here is what I have learned from the physician and my research. The patient was a 56-year-old male… Continue reading When To Be Suspicious Of Infective Endocarditis