M. Dolores Farrer – Advanced Wound Care Treatments for the Lower Extremity

Outline

So Many Dressings, So Little Time

Dressing Fundamentals for Advanced Practice

• Choosing the appropriate dressing based on the wounds needs
• New versions of older products
• Does higher cost mean better results?
• Is silver becoming resist?

Cut It Out? – Proper Debridement and Reduction of Bioburden

• Eschar, gangrene, fibrin, and slough – best way to treat: remove or leave alone
• Biofilm: identify, reduce and remove
• Surgical vs. Non-surgical ways to debride a wound
• Infection: can we treat without antibiotics?

Common Chronic Wounds and Advanced Treatments

• Normal wound healing pathway
• In-depth review of the pathophysiology, appearance, location and treatments for:
  • Diabetic / Neuropathic Foot Ulcers
  • Venous Insufficiency
  • Arterial Ulcers
  • Pressure Injuries
• Vascular Testing: Ankle-Brachial Index, Doppler – understanding the results
• Step-by-step foot exams: Identify the high risk patient
• Diabetic foot deformities: how to treat and protect from recurrence

Hands-On Lab

• Review of off-loading devices:
  • Total Contact Cast
  • CamWalker vs. CroWalker
  • Diabetic shoes
  • Custom inserts

Hands-On Off-loading Workshop (secrets from Dr. Farrer’s lab)

Advanced Dressings – What Works, What Doesn’t

• Biological and tissue grafts
• Prepping the wound for graft placement
• Mechanical Negative Pressure
• Topical Oxygen

Lower Leg Edema and Compression Treatments: It’s More Than Just Compression

• Compression pumps: what are the differences?
• Elastic vs. inelastic dressings
• Multi- layered compression wraps
• Protecting the periwound and drainage control

Hands-On Lab

• Compression workshop to practice your skills

“I’m stressing over my wound” – Understanding the Role of Stress in Delayed Wound Healing

• Identify stress-induced factors in the wound patient
• Clinical strategies to overcome delayed healing

The Psychology of Wound Healing

• Making your patient part of the Wound Care Team
• Communication techniques to encourage compliance
• Easy strategies to promote positive change in patient behavior

Hands-On Labs

• Application of compression dressings
• Off-loading Techniques
• Show and Share some of the newest dressings