Dakin’s Solution: Past, Present, and Future.
This article on the history of Dakin's Solution was published in the journal, Advances in Skin & Wound Care. Dakin's solution has been used for almost a century for treatment of infected wounds. Developed by a biochemist named Henry Dakin in the early 20th...
The Legacy of Letchworth Village
We often think that medical progress marches in a straight line, but that is not the case. Some ideas change the field rapidly, while others sit by the sidelines for decades before being accepted. Others are accepted by the medical profession like a fad only to fall...
Wounds of a Boxer: Medical Secrets from Ancient Rome
Over the past month an ancient sculptural masterpiece has been on temporary display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Greek and Roman halls. On loan from Rome's Museo Nazionale Romano, “Boxer at Rest” depicts a battered pugilist immediately after a fight. His face...
CMS recognizes the Kennedy Terminal Ulcer in Long-Term Care Hospitals
The Kennedy Terminal Ulcer (KTU) has been around for over two decades, and continues to play a large part in discussions as to whether pressure ulcers are avoidable or unavoidable. Until now the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not acknowledged the...
Peripheral Arterial Disease: an Often-Overlooked Cause of Poor Wound Healing
This article was published in Today's Wound Clinic, Volume 7, Issue 5 (June/July) 2013. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the lower limbs is often neglected when evaluating reasons for poor wound healing, particularly in elderly patients. Affecting roughly 12-14%...
Palliative Care for Non-Healing Pressure Ulcers
There is a saying that time heals all wounds, but this is not always the case for pressure ulcers. Those of us who care for patients with pressure ulcers know that some wounds will not heal, and cure becomes an unrealistic goal. Partnering with the patient and family...
Improving Communication in the Wound Clinic
8 Steps to Developing a Community-Based Wound Care Team: A Practical Guide for Reaching Beyond Wound Center Walls By nature of their various (and often multiple) comorbidities, wound care patients reside in a spectrum of healthcare settings. Communication is important...
Pressure Ulcer Guide Helps New Jersey Nursing Homes
In an unusual agreement between the New Jersey Hospital Association, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the New Jersey Department of Health, the Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers authored by myself and Elizabeth Ayello PhD, RN will be distributed...
My Mentor in Geriatrics: Leslie S. Libow MD
Were it not for Leslie S. Libow I would not have entered the specialty of Geriatrics. This past weekend at the annual meeting of the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA), I sat in the audience as Dr. Libow received the prestigious James Patee Award for...
Webinar on Infectious Aspects of Chronic Wounds
This is a webinar I recently delivered on Infectious Aspects of Chronic Wounds including Infection Control. It was sponsored by the Gold STAMP (Success Through Assessment, Management, and Prevention) program, which is funded by the New York State Department of Health...
Aging in Central Asia
In May 2012 I traveled to Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia to photograph aging and gain better understanding of international differences in how people grow old. I was amazed to learn the extent that elders are revered in traditional Kyrgyz society. The collapse of the...
Research Links Nursing Home Staffing to Death from Viral Gastroenteritis
Low staffing levels in nursing homes have long been linked to adverse outcomes such as pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections (UTIs), weight loss, dehydration, and deterioration in ADL’s, but new research published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American...