Wounds Flashcards
What are the roles of OT in wound care?
Identify causative factors to skin breakdown
Make recommendations that protect the skin or promote wound healing while promoting participation in meaningful occupation
What are the wound interventions provided by OT?
Restore habits and routines Prevent loss of roles Prevent occurrence of wounds (positioning, support surfaces, etc.) Modifications to context and environment Fabricate and provide orthotic devices Education Provision of pressure garments Management of wound site
Ulcers precede __ % of all amputations.
85%
One amputation [increases/decreases] the risk of future amputations.
Increases.
What is the mortality rate 5 years following amputation?
Between 40 and 70%
What are the phases of wound healing?
- Hemostasis: Immediate response to stop blood loss. Clot formation and breakdown (fibrinolysis)
- Inflammation: 2-6 days post injury. Warmth, redness/erythema, edema, and/or pain.
- Proliferation: Accumulation of new tissue synthesis into an unorganized array of collagen. Myofibroblasts cause wound contraction. Pink/red granulation tissue.
- Maturation or remodeling: Reorganization of collagen but never achieves >80% tensile strength of the tissue. Takes up to 2 years.
True or False: Atypically progressing wounds stop at the proliferation stage.
False. Infected wounds usually stop at the inflammation stage and does not go onto proliferation.
What is granulation?
New tissue formation. Pink/red. Contained within the wound margins.
What is hyper-granulation?
New tissue formation that spills over the margins of the wound, preventing wound healing and epithelial cell movement. Friable, i.e. crumbling/brittle, breaks easily
What is excoriation?
Road rash-type of wound
What is slough?
Devitalized tissue. Yellow, brown, beige, or green. Loose or fibrous.
What is eschar?
Dead tissue. Leathery.
What is tunneling?
Wound creates a tunnel through tissue, where there are two openings to the wound.
What is undermining?
Wound continues under the skin, and the wound internal margins are much larger than the external margins. Can be caused by prolonged sloughing.
What is the best way to heal wounds that are undermining?
Try not to let the wound close before the wound has healed from bottom up to that level of skin.
What is the exudate?
The fluid that comes out of the wound.
Describe serous exudates.
Clear or pale yellow. Benign.
Describe sanguineous exudates.
Blood.
Describe sero-sang exudates.
Contains a mixture of blood and clear fluids
Describe purulent exudates.
Pus. A variety of colours and may/may not have a distinct smell.
True or False: Erythema is unblanchable redness.
False. Erythema can be blanchable or unblanchable.
What is the effect of rolled edges of a wound on wound healing?
Makes wound healing more difficult by making epithelial cell migration more difficult
What is maceration?
When there is excessive fluid around the wound edge. It easily tears and slows down wound healing.
What should be reported when wound assessment?
Subjective history Surrounding tissue Wound location Wound base - red, yellow, black Wound edges & undermining Wound size - Length, width, and depth Drainage - exudate colour and consistency Odour
How should the measurements of wound size be made?
Measurements of length and width are taken at right angles. Depth is measured by a probe.
What are the differences between acute vs. chronic wounds?
Acute wound: Disruption of skin integrity that heals in an uncomplicated manner.
Chronic wound: Wounds that fail to heal in a normal, timely (> 6 weeks), and orderly manner or wounds that do not heal without restoring anatomic and functional results.
What are wounds that are on maintenance?
Wound is healing but not in a timely fashion (e.g. due to factors like patient adherence)
What are non-healing wounds?
Wounds for which causes cannot be removed (e.g. patient adherence, blood flow)
What are the types of chronic wounds?
Pressure injuries (ulcers) Diebetic/Neuropathic foot ulcers Venous leg ulcers Arterial ulcers Surgical wound dehiscence Fistula
What model is used to help people with chronic wounds?
Wound bed preparation paradigm
In the wound bed preparation paradigm, that are the 3 factors to be considered when caring for people with chronic wounds?
- Treat cause
- Local wound care
- Patient-centred concerns
In the wound bed preparation paradigm, what are 3 interventions for local wound care?
- Debridement
- Infection - Edge non-healing wound
- Moisture balance
What is the most important thing to consider when caring for people with chronic wounds?
Knowing the cause and treating the cause
What are pressure injuries?
Localized damage to the skin, usually over a bony prominence or a medical/other devices, as a result of intense/prolonged pressure or pressure in combination with shear
What are the risk factors for pressure injuries?
Medical comorbidities that cause immobility, diminished sensation, impaired blood flow, poor venous return, etc.
Inadequate nutrition (protein, vitamin C, zinc)
Moisture/incontinence
Pressure
Friction
Shear
Medications
What are the common sites of pressure wounds?
Sacrum, heel, malleoli, coccyx, ischial tuberosity, greater trochanter, elbow, etc.
How are pressure injuries staged?
Stage 1: Non-blanchable erythema of intact skin
Stage 2: Partial thickness skin loss with exposed dermis
Stage 3: Full thickness skin loss
Stage 4: Full thickness skin and tissue loss
What are unstageable pressure injuries?
Pressure injuries that has obscured full thickness skin and tissue loss due to slough or eschar, such that the extent of the damage cannot be confirmed.
What is deep tissue pressure injury?
Persistent non-blanchable deep red, maroon, or purple discolouration
True or False: A pressure wound can be back-staged (e.g. go from Stage 3 to 2) if it gets better.
False. You never back-stage a pressure wound.
Describe Stage 1 pressure injury.
No skin breakdown
Appears lightly pigmented
Describe Stage 2 pressure injury.
Skin breakdown into part of dermis
Describe Stage 3 pressure injury.
Skin breakdown through and past the dermis
Fat, slough, eschar may be visible, but not tendon, fascia, nor bone.
Describe Stage 4 pressure injury.
Skin breakdown through subcutaneous tissue, exposing bone, cartilage, and/or tendon.
What are the differences between deep tissue pressure injuries and Stage 1 pressure injuries?
Deep tissue pressure injury tends to be more purple and prolonged, and may feel more cushy/boggy and warmer than Stage 1 pressure injuries.
What is the Braden scale?
A scale used to assess risk for developing pressure injuries.
What are the 6 indicators assessed by the Braden scale?
Sensory perception Moisture Activity Mobility Nutrition Friction and shear
How are the indicators scored in the Braden scale?
Ranked from 1 (high risk) to 4 (low risk), except for friction and shear which is ranked from 1 to 3.
What do the scores of Braden scale indicate?
Score 15-18: Mild risk
Score 13-14: Moderate risk
Score 10-12: High risk
Score 9 or lower: Very high risk
What is the formula for pressure?
Force/Area
How does pressure differ for small vs. larger surface area?
Small SA: High peak pressure
Large SA: Lower peak pressure
What are support surfaces?
Specialized devices for pressure redistribution
What are the physical factors to consider for support surfaces?
Ability to provide envelopment or immersion
Life expectancy of the device
Ability to provide pressure redistribution
Potential for friction and shear
Stability
Maintenance needs
What are the 2 categories of support surfaces?
Reactive: Changes load distribution in responses to patient’s weight.
Active: Changes load distribution without the patient. Requires a power source and uses cyclical inflation and deflation.
What is the only available type of active support surface in hospital settings?
Alternating air pressure reduction surface
What are the indications for alternating air pressure reduction surface?
Acutely ill and/or immobile patients with existing pressure ulcer or at high risk for developing a pressure ulcer.
True or False: Alternating air pressure reduction surface can replace regular repositioning.
False. Not always.
What are the features of support surfaces?
Air-fluidized Alternating pressure Lateral rotation Low air loss (good for managing moisture) Zone Multi-zoned
What are the 4 main reactive devices for pressure redistribution?
Mattress
Overlays
Integrated bed systems
Cushions
What is the purpose of Prevalon boot?
Pressure relief on lateral and medial malleolus
What is the purpose of leg trough?
Pressure relief on heel and malleoli
Describe Vicare cushions.
Cushions with different zones that are filled with different amounts of small units filled with air
Describe Elastomer cushions.
Cushions with comb-like texture
Describe Roho cushions.
Cushions with many cells that are equally filled with air