From the editor


Insidious foes T


On the web...


Keep up with the latest developments across the industry by visiting www.practical-patient-care.com


Practical Patient Care Issue 32


Editorial Editor Peter Littlejohns peter.littlejohns@progressivemediainternational.com


Sub-editor Pete Barden Group art director Henrik Williams Designer Martin Faulkner Production manager Dave Stanford Head of content Jake Sharp


Commercial Client services executive Ruchita Marwaha


Sales manager Martin John


Sales and marketing Glen Savage glen.savage@progressivemediainternational.com Managing director William Crocker


Practical Patient Care is published by Progressive Media International, a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations.


Registered in England No. 06212740. www.practical-patient-care.com


ISSN 2041-2436 © 2023 Progressive Media International.


All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, photocopied or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions.


The products and services advertised are those of individual authors, and are not necessarily endorsed by or connected with the publisher. The opinions expressed in the articles within this publication are those of individual authors, and not necessarily those of the publisher.


SUBSCRIPTIONS Single issue price: UK £44 EU €68 US $89 RoW $89


One year: Two year:


UK £67 EU €104 US $135 RoW $136 UK £105 EU €163 US $215 RoW $216


Email: cs@progressivemediaInternational.com


40–42 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8EB, UK. Tel: +44 20 7936 6400 Fax: +44 7724 9800


Printed by Stephens & George Print Group Images used under licence from Shutterstock.com


he field of infectious diseases can be characterised as an ongoing battle between humans and the natural world. Ever since the work of Louis Pasteur (of pasteurised milk fame) and his contemporary Robert Koch illuminated the role that naturally occurring bacteria play in causing infection, we’ve been able to mount some level of resistance against them. Unfortunately for us, the simplistic structure of these single-celled microorganisms is in direct contrast to their ability to survive. In our cover story on page 40, Abi Millar looks at how bacteria organise themselves into fortress-like structures within wound beds to repel antibiotics and speaks to two researchers trying to find ways to smuggle drugs through the barricade. Prevention is always better than a cure, at least that’s the mantra of infection control specialists whether the enemy is bacterial or viral. They witnessed first- hand the impact of a highly transmissible pathogen during the Covid-19 pandemic. But as countries leant on their expertise in hospitals, they had to contend with an influx of patients and the hygiene behaviours of staff. On page 44, Abi asks an expert in the field what was learned during the pandemic, and to what degree the protocols followed at the height of it have stuck. Another learning from the pandemic, and one that didn’t come as much of a surprise, was that wealth matters significantly when it comes to securing a vaccine, as shown by its inequitable distribution internationally. But disparities in healthcare are nothing new, and even within developed countries access to lifesaving surgical procedures can depend on how close you are to a big city. On page 51, Monica Karpinski speaks to Jacques Marescaux, who carried out the first-ever remote surgery, to find out how combining robotic arms with a low-latency connection could make surgical procedures more accessible. Other topics covered in this issue of Practical Patient Care include the role of gene-editing technology CRISPR in the future of diagnostic medicine, new technologies for diagnosing and monitoring chronic wounds and the benefits of using wearable data in cardiology.


Those working in medicine face an insidious threat from pathogenic microbes and pathophysiological processes inside of patients’ bodies, but technology might yet give hospitals the upper hand in the fight.


Peter Littlejohns, editor


Practical Patient Care / www.practical-patient-care.com


3


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61