TLC-Ag dressings: a prospective, multicentre study on 728 patients with wounds at risk of or with local infection.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the management of an unselected cohort of patients with wounds at risk of or with clinical signs of local infection, treated with two antimicrobial contact layers impregnated with silver (TLC-Ag healing matrix), under real-life conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: A large, prospective, multicentre, observational study with two TLC-Ag dressings (UrgoTul Ag/Silver and UrgoTul Ag Lite Border, Laboratoires Urgo, France) was conducted in Germany between May 2020 and May 2021. The main outcomes included a description of the treated patients and their wound management, the changes in wound infection and wound healing outcomes over a maximum period of four weeks of treatment, as well as the overall clinical assessment of the performance, local tolerance and acceptability of dressings. RESULTS: A total of 728 patients with wounds of various aetiologies and wound infection status were treated with the evaluated dressings in 39 centres for a mean duration of 26±19 days, with an intermediate visit conducted in 712 (97.8%) patients after a mean period of 12±9 days. At the initial visit, it was established that the majority of patients (60.4%) had a wound infection, while the remaining cohort presented first clinical signs of a local wound infection (25.1%) or were at risk of wound infection (13.2%) (unclear status in 1.2%). Throughout the study period, all the parameters of wound infection continuously decreased, resulting at the final visit in a reduction by 78.9% of the prevalence of local wound infections and by 72.0% of the clinical signs of wound infection, the most rapidly diminished clinical sign being wound deterioration. Concurrently, in terms of the healing process, 92.1% of the wounds healed or improved, 3.2% remained unchanged and 1.7% worsened (data missing for 3.0%), and an improvement of the periwound skin was reported in 65.7% of the patients. Overall, the two dressings were 'very well accepted' by the majority of patients, with no uncomfortable feeling at wearing and no pain at dressing removal, and were assessed by the physicians as 'very useful' in the majority of the cases with a 'very good' efficacy in terms of antimicrobial activity and promotion of the wound healing process. Similar results were reported regardless of the wound type treated or of the TLC-Ag dressing evaluated. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with previous clinical evidence on TLC-Ag dressings. They support the good efficacy, good tolerability and usefulness of these antimicrobial dressings in the management of patients with wounds at risk or with clinical signs of local infection, in association with appropriate standard of care.

Animal bite wounds and their management in tropical Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To define the microbiologic characteristics of animal bites in tropical Australia and the appropriateness of current Australian antimicrobial guidelines for their management. METHODS: This retrospective audit examined hospitalizations in tropical Australia after an animal bite or animal-associated penetrating injury between 2013 and 2020. The primary outcome was a composite of death, intensive care unit admission, amputation, quaternary center transfer, or unplanned rehospitalization. RESULTS: A wide variety of animals were implicated, but snakes (734/1745, 42%), dogs (508/1745, 29%), and cats (153/1745, 9%) were the most common. Hospital presentation after 24 hours (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 68.67 (42.10-112.01)) and a cat-related injury (OR (95% CI): 22.20 (11.18-44.08)) were independently associated with an increased risk of infection. A pathogen not covered by the relevant antimicrobial regimen recommended in Australian guidelines was identified in only 12/1745 (0.7%) cases. The primary outcome occurred in 107/1745 (6%) and was independently associated with tissue trauma (OR (95% CI): 9.29 (6.05-14.25), p<0.001), established deep infection at presentation (OR (95% CI): 2.95 (1.31-6.61), p=0.009) and hospital presentation after 24 hours (OR (95% CI): 1.77 (1.12-2.79), p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: A wide variety of animals bite humans in tropical Australia, but empiric antimicrobial regimens recommended in current national guidelines cover almost all the microbiologic isolates from the resulting wounds.

Wound Botulism Among Persons Who Inject Black Tar Heroin in New Mexico, 2016.

Outbreaks of wound botulism are rare, but clinicians and health departments should maintain suspicion for signs, symptoms, and risk factors of wound botulism among persons who inject drugs in order to initiate treatment quickly. This report describes an outbreak of three wound botulism cases among persons in two adjacent counties who injected drugs. Provisional information about these cases was previously published in the CDC National Botulism Surveillance Summary. All three cases in this outbreak were laboratory-confirmed, including one case with detection of botulinum toxin type A in a wound culture sample taken 43 days after last possible heroin exposure. Findings highlight the delay in diagnosis which led to prolonged hospitalization and the persistence of botulinum toxin in one patient.

Human Wound and Its Burden: Updated 2020 Compendium of Estimates.

Significance: Chronic wounds impact the quality of life (QoL) of nearly 2.5% of the total population in the United States and the management of wounds has a significant economic impact on health care. Given the aging population, the continued threat of diabetes and obesity worldwide, and the persistent problem of infection, it is expected that chronic wounds will continue to be a substantial clinical, social, and economic challenge. In 2020, the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic dramatically disrupted health care worldwide, including wound care. A chronic nonhealing wound (CNHW) is typically correlated with comorbidities such as diabetes, vascular deficits, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. These risk factors make persons with CNHW at high risk for severe, sometimes lethal outcomes if infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (pathogen causing COVID-19). The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted several aspects of the wound care continuum, including compliance with wound care visits, prompting alternative approaches (use of telemedicine and creation of videos to help with wound dressing changes among others), and encouraging a do-it-yourself wound dressing protocol and use of homemade remedies/substitutions. Recent Advances: There is a developing interest in understanding how the social determinants of health impact the QoL and outcomes of wound care patients. Furthermore, addressing wound care in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of telemedicine options in the continuum of care. Future Directions: The economic, clinical, and social impact of wounds continues to rise and requires appropriate investment and a structured approach to wound care, education, and related research.

Exposure risk of patients with chronic infectious wounds during the COVID-19 outbreak and its countermeasures.

BACKGROUND: A large number of cases of pneumonia caused by novel ß-coronavirus emerged in Hubei Province, China, at the end of 2019 and demonstrated great potential for transmission. At present, known independent risk factors include age, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, which may be similar to the patients with chronic wound; thus, we try to explore the clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and management recommendation of patients with chronic infective wounds during the COVID-19 epidemic period. METHODS: In this single-center, retrospective observational study, we included all cases with chronic infective wounds that came to our hospital between the full outbreak of the COVID-19 in China (January 23, 2020) and the latest date prior to posting (20 April 2020). Demographic data, comorbidities, laboratory and imaging findings, consultation history, and clinical outcomes (lesion cured, uncontrolled, amputated, etc. as of May 10, 2020) were collected for all individuals. Patients were subdivided into gangrene, traumatic infection, and other types of soft tissue infection wound (including bedsores, gout ruptures, stab wounds, and so on) according to the causes of wound, and their disease-related information were compared group by group. RESULTS: Among the total 81 patients with chronic infective wounds, 60% were male, with a mean age of 60.8 years (SD 18.6), including 38 (47%) patients with traumatic infection, 29 (36%) gangrene cases, and 14 (17%) other soft tissue infection wounds. Common comorbidities are hypertension (32%), diabetes (32%), cardiovascular disease (24%), and kidney injury (12%), and the patients with gangrenes have the most comorbidities. As of May 10, 2020, there were 78 patients discharged, and their average stay time is 15.8 days (SD 14.2), while people still at the hospital is 39.7 days (SD 8.7) much longer than the discharged and also has more comorbidities. But there is no significant difference in the hospitalization time of three types of wounds. And fortunately, none of all the patients were infected by coronavirus. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with chronic wounds are severely ill with high risk of infection and poor prognosis; therefore, management of patients with chronic wounds should be improved.