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Situation

Intellectually disabled 54 year old man with diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The patient has peripheral neuropathy of feet and developed a diabetic foot ulcer. Surgical debridement was performed in OR and wound was initially treated with impregnated gauze ribbon changed twice daily and cleaned with PHMB solution.

Action(s) taken/ treatment provided

A review of treatment regime and dressings was conducted at 5 weeks post-operation due to deterioration of wound, odour and possibility of future amputation of foot. New treatment plan included cleansing and debridement with and monofilament fibre pad and use of biocellulose hydrobalance dressing dipped in PHMB solution to improve rate of healing.

Outcome(s)

After 9 days, wound was granulating with reduced level of exudate and odour. Total cost of dressings over 9 days of treatment was $114.51. Patient was able to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility and avoided amputation.

Lesson(s) learned

After 5 weeks using a wound dressing regime including gauze and time consuming twice-daily dressing changes, the wound had deteriorated, rather than progressed towards healing. The change of dressing plan resulted in granulation and wound progression in just 9 days. Dressings were cost effective and saved time as did not need to be changed so regularly.

Situation

Patient is a 73 year old lady who has been suffering with venous leg ulcers since 2016. On presentation, she had leg ulcers measuring more than 50cm2 which were very painful with high levels of exudate.

Action(s) taken/ treatment provided

Compression therapy was initially commenced with a long stretch compression bandage. This was changed to a 2 layer resuable short stretch system due to ease of use and patient comfort. This was a cost effective option as patient was able to wash, re-roll and reuse the bandages throughout her treatment from September 2019 to February 2020. The bandages were skin friendly and comfortable for the patient who is prone to dermatitis. The wounds were managed with alternate combinations of ionic gel dressing for pain relief, cadexomer iodine, antimicrobial dressings and biocellulose hydrobalance dressings.

Outcome(s)

In the first 4 weeks, the ulcers had reduced in size by 50% and after 6 months of treatment the wounds had fully closed.

Lesson(s) learned

In the absence of corrective surgery, compression therapy has been found to be the most effective treatment for venous leg ulcers (VLUs)1. Achieving healing rests on patients’ adherence to treatment and in this case it was found that compression bandages which are both cost effective and comfortable for the patient are more likely to encourage patient concordance. Compression therapy alongside effective wound care resulted in full healing for this patient after 4 years of suffering with venous leg ulcers.

Situation

Patient presented with a traumatic injury to left hand sustained while sailing. The wound was 3 weeks old and covered in hardened necrotic tissue.

Action(s) taken/ treatment provided

Upon advice from clinician, patient covered wound in plastic wrap overnight to soften and visited hospital the following morning. A monofilament fibre debridement lolly was used to mechanically debride outer necrotic eschar. An ionic hydrogel dressing was then applied for further autolytic debridement and deeper wound assessment. The dressing was removed after 24 hours and mechanically debrided again with monofilament fibre debridement lolly. After full wound assessment, decision was made to intervene surgically and patient received a skin graft within 24 hours.

Outcome(s)

After 3 months, the skin graft had healed and patient regained full use and movement of his hand.

Lesson(s) learned

The combination of mechanical and autolytic debridement using two simple, easy to use, community based products allowed for full assessment of the wound bed. The treating clinician was able to assess, dress, reassess and refer, resulting in a fast decision to send the patient for surgical intervention and improved overall clinical outcome.

Situation

Patient presented with bi-lateral leg ulceration and was being treated daily by a GP. Wounds had been present for the past 133 weeks and compression therapy was not part of the treatment regime.

Action(s) taken/treatment provided

Upon referral to the Nurse Navigator service at Princess Alexandra Hospital, routine vascular tests were carried out and he was deemed suitable for light compression therapy in addition to a wound care treatment plan, including wound bed preparation with monofilament fibre debridement pad. Compression bandaging is the gold standard treatment for those suffering from venous ulceration. The short-stretch bandage of choice delivers safe, light compression and is washable to help reduce the costs of ongoing treatment.

Outcome(s)

Wound healing progress was slow but consistent with the use of short stretch compression and the wound care treatment plan. Patient was adherent to care and found compression bandage to be comfortable, affordable, helped to reduce pain and improve quality of life. Leg ulcers fully healed after 32 weeks of treatment.

Lesson(s) learned

The Nurse Navigator supported patient care at GP practice to enable collaboration and education of those involved in ongoing care. This ensured a holistic approach to care allowing for systems improvement, patient centred care, improving patient outcomes and most importantly creating partnership between the GP practice and hospital.

Situation

76 year old lady with systemic pneumococcal infection was in ICU for 6 weeks and now being treated in community nursing and podiatry care. 9 toes were affected with necrosis.

Action(s) taken/ treatment provided

Patient had black, hard necrotic toes which required debridement of tips, nail beds and removal of exposed dead bones. Toes are difficult to dress and required moisture for autolytic debridement. Patient also required a solution which will relieve pain.

It was decided that a combined treatment of community nursing and podiatry would deliver the best outcome for this patient.

• Podiatry: Sharp debridement, removal of nails and removal of protruding dead bony toe phalanges

• Community nursing: Debridement with monofilament fibre pad (in combination with sharp debridement) and dressings for autolytic debridement and pain relief.

Outcome(s)

After 2 weeks of treatment on the left foot, black necrotic tissue has been softened to allow for further debridement. After 4 weeks of treatment, big toe almost healed and small amount of nail bed regrowth.

After 2 weeks of treatment on the right foot, evidence of granulation and epithelialisation of toes and nail bed areas.

Lesson(s) learned

Working as a multi-disciplinary team alongside allied health is vital for the healing process and can help to achieve the best possible clinical and patient outcomes, particularly for complex wounds.

Situation

44 year old man with chronic history of gout in many joints. The patient had surgical intervention on right big toe due to infection of joint, pain and bone osteomyelitis.

At 2 week post-surgery, the patient experienced delayed healing, pain and odour from the wound. On presentation, the wound had heavy thick slough, undermining of edges and slight hypergranulation at base of wound.

Action(s) taken/treatment(s) provided

Monofilament fibre lolly was used to clean wound bed, disrupt and remove biofilm and slough. Second generation hydrogel dressing then applied to wound bed for autolytic debridement and softening of slough. Pain relief was instant and patient no longer required oral pain medication. Biocellulose hydrobalance dressing was also applied at day 4 to improve and speed up epithelialisation process.

Outcome(s)

Patient and clinician happy with progress in first 7 days. The treatment and dressings reduced pain and allowed the patient to walk and wear his own shoes. Wound was fully healed after 26 days.

Lesson(s) learned

The use of monofilament fibre lolly combined with additional autolytic debridement with second generation ionic hydrogel dressing helped to prepare the wound bed and removed slough, debris and other barriers to healing. Further treatment with hydrogel dressing and hydrobalance dressing helped to create optimal conditions for wound healing.

Situation

Patient presented to Hospital in the Home with large wound on the right leg which was suspected to have been caused by a spider bite. The patient was suffering from extreme pain, swelling and blistering.

Action(s) taken/ treatment provided

Wound needed debridement in the clinic to remove necrotic tissue and hardened slough. Due to the wound size and complexity, a combination of debridement methods were chosen, including mechanical with monofilament fibre pad, sharp and autolytic with ionic gel dressing. After full debridement was achieved, the wound bed was able to be thoroughly assessed and wound care plan put in place. Dressing regime included ongoing use of monofilament fibre pad for mechanical debridement and wound bed preparation and gel dressing for pain relief and dynamic fluid management.

Outcome(s)

The dressings were well tolerated and comfortable for the patient. Over the 4 months of treatment, the wound progressed towards healing and no surgical/specialist intervention or lengthy hospital stay was required.

Lesson(s) learned

Wounds with this level of complexity are often not expected to be treated in community settings. With introduction of new products onto the hospital formulary due to a new contract, new technologies were able to be used by the community nurse with successful patient outcomes. The products selected were cost effective, easy to use and reduced the need for antimicrobial dressings. Moving forward, products such as the new second generation ionic gel dressing can be used effectively in the community, reducing the need for specialist intervention.

PURPOSE

Staple line leak (SLL) is a serious complication after sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Common endoscopic treatment options include self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS), endoscopic internal drainage (EID), and endoscopic closure. The endoscopic negative pressure therapy (ENPT) is a promising treatment option combining temporary sealing of the defect with drainage of the inflammatory bed. In this study, we compare the outcome of ENPT and SEMS for the treatment of SLL following SG.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective cohort of 27 patients (21 females) treated at a single center for SLL after SG was included. ENPT was primary therapy for 14 patients and compared with 13 patients treated primarily using SEMS.

RESULTS

ENPT was associated with a significant reduction of hospital stay (19 ± 15.1 vs. 56.69 ± 47.21 days, p = 0.027), reduced duration of endoscopic treatment (9.8 ± 8.6 vs. 44.92 ± 60.98 days, p = 0.009), and shorter transabdominal drain dwell time (15 (5-96) vs. 45 (12-162) days, p = 0.014) when compared to SEMS. Whereas endoscopic management was successful in 12/14 (85.7%) of patients from the ENPT group, SEMS was successful in only 5/13 (38.5%) of patients (p = 0.015). Furthermore, ENPT was associated with a significant reduction of endoscopic adverse events compared with SEMS (14.3% vs. 76.92% p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Compared with SEMS, ENPT is effective and safe in treating SLL after SG providing higher success rates, shorter treatment duration, and lower adverse events rates.

A monofilament fibre debridement pad has been found to be a rapid and effective mechanical method of removing dry skin, biofilm and debris from acute and chronic wounds with minimal patient discomfort. Evidence of its impact on prescribing and wound healing, however, has been more limited. The aim of this audit was to show evidence of the monofilament fibre debridement pad's impact on wound treatment costs through an analysis of NHS wound-care prescribing data in England. A dataset for 486 uniquely identified patients who had been newly prescribed the monofilament fibre debridement pad was obtained from the NHS Business Services Authority. All data were anonymised. Costs were identified for the six months before and six months after the month of first prescription of the monofilament fibre debridement pad. The total cost of wound-care prescribing fell by 14% or £101,723 in the six months after the intervention compared with the six months before. The average monthly expenditure per patient fell from £244 before the intervention to £209 (n=486) after. These results indicate that use of the monofilament fibre debridement pad could reduce prescribing costs and the use of antimicrobial and negative pressure therapies. Further research is warranted to investigate the clinical role of the monofilament fibre debridement pad in wound healing.