News Wounds update
Electric underwear may help to prevent pressure ulcers
A Canadian company has begun testing their new wound care technology, which sends electric currents through custom-made undergarments, stimulating nerves and blood flow to prevent pressure ulcer development. Immobilised patients, who are at
risk of developing pressure ulcers, will soon be able to wear custom- made undergarments that pulse electric currents through the skin every 10 minutes. The Smart-e-Pants technology, developed by Alberta Health Services and Project Smart, stimulates tissue for those who are immobilised, therefore decreasing their risk of pressure ulcers. ‘Smart-e-Pants provide an electrical current, stimulating the nerves and
Image: Wheelchairs. Credit: Rusty Clark on Flickr.
muscles to replicate what we do when we “fidget”,’ said Dr Ming Chan, a rehabilitation medicine specialist for Alberta Health Services. ‘Our aim is to prevent pressure ulcers by bringing blood flow and oxygen to the muscles.’ Click here for more info
Depression evolved to
combat infections A study has found that depression has evolved to fight infection by conserving energy and inducing inflammatory responses to pathogens. According to researchers,
historically, depression has acted as a pathogen defence mechanism necessary to activate innate inflammatory responses of the immune system. While depression is looked upon as a risk to social and mental health, researchers have found that depression genes have become more prolific in recent history. ‘The basic idea is that
Electrosurgery shown not to impair wound healing
Image: Incision. Credit: brookscl on Flickr.
In a recent study, researchers have found that electrosurgery does not impair wound healing, as had been previously thought.
A study published in the British
Journal of Surgery examined 2,541 patients for surgical site healing using
either a scalpel or diathermy. There were 1,267 patients who underwent skin incision by cutting diathermy, while 1,274 were operated on using a scalpel. During the post- operative period, patients’ wound complications were assessed for six weeks. There were
no differences found in wound healing for either method. Diathermy produced less bleeding at the time of incision, but neither incision method caused increased pain 24-hours post-operatively or increased wound complications. Click here for more info
depression and the genes that promote it were very adaptive for helping people — especially young children — not die of infection in the ancestral environment, even if those same behaviours are not helpful in our relationships with other people,’ said researcher Charles Raison MD. Social theories suggest that
depression can be activated when one is injured through dangerous situations such as hunting. Wounds increase the body’s inflammatory responses, especially during high-risk situations, and, therefore, can affect the social behaviour of the injured person. These depressive effects then protect people from other pathogens and conserve their energy for recovery, stated the researchers. Click here for more info
Image: Child alone and scared. Credit: D Sharon Pruitt on Flickr.
www.woundsinternational.com
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