BACKGROUND Vasopressors are lifesaving agents used to raise mean arterial pressure in critically ill patients in shock states. The pharmacodynamics of these agents suggest vasopressors may play a role in development of pressure ulcers; however, this aspect has been understudied. OBJECTIVE To examine associations between type, dose, and duration of vasopressors (norepinephrine, epinephrine, va...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the effectiveness of a new high-performance Australian medical sheepskin (meeting Australian Standard 4480.1-1998) in preventing pressure ulcers in a general hospital population at low to moderate risk of these ulcers. DESIGN Open-label randomised controlled clinical trial. SETTING A large metropolitan teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, in 2000. PARTICIPANTS 4...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of zinc hyaluronate on neuropathic and neuroischemic diabetic foot ulcers in a controlled, randomized, open-label trial. Fifty-nine patients with 71 ulcers (44 neuropathic and 27 neuroischemic) were treated with standard methods. In 35 patients (43 ulcers), zinc hyaluronate (Hyaluricht, Gedeon Richter, Hungary) was added locally. The rest of 24 pa...

Healing of leg ulcers constitutes a major clinical problem. Local methods for accelerating the healing process include modern wound dressings, but it is unclear what impact these dressings have on ulcer healing. This study examines the collective evidence on the effectiveness of modern dressings in the treatment of leg ulcers. To this end, a meta-analysis was conducted covering randomized clini...

Seventy patients with 90 venous ulcers were randomly assigned to hydrocolloid or conventional dressing and compression therapy at four study centers. The ulcers had been present for a mean of 47.8 in the control and 46.2 weeks in the treatment group and 42% of all patients had recurrent ulcers. Ulcers treated with hydrocolloid dressings reduced 71% and control treated wounds reduced 43% in area...

Herpes simplex virus infection and syphilis are the most common causes of genital ulcers in the United States. Other infectious causes include chancroid, lymphogranuloma venereum, granuloma inguinale (donovanosis), secondary bacterial infections, and fungi. Noninfectious etiologies, including sexual trauma, psoriasis, Behçet syndrome, and fixed drug eruptions, can also lead to genital ulcers. A...

William T Wake, MD, fAAfP, is a Physician in the Department of Family Medicine and Department of Continuing Care at the Baldwin Park Medical Center in CA. E-mail: [email protected]. Introduction Pressure ulcer treatment is one of many aspects of patient care in which nursing care interfaces directly with clinician-provided medical services. Traditionally, the treatment of pressure ulcers ha...

Background: Pressure ulcers are defined as lesions of ischemic etiology in the skin or soft tissue. These lesions are secondary to increased external pressure and usually occur over bony prominences. Classification of various stages of pressure ulcers is important for the development of therapeutic strategies. The fundamental surgical treatments are debridement and excision of underlying bursa ...

UNLABELLED Ghrelin exhibits protective and therapeutic effect in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of ghrelin administration on the healing of oral ulcers in rats with intact salivary gland and in sialoadenectomized rats. Gingival and lingual ulcers were induced by acetic acid. After induction of ulcers, rats were treated wi...

OBJECTIVE Magnesium plays an important role in glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum magnesium levels and diabetic foot ulcers. METHODS A total of 147 subjects were included in this study. The participants were divided into three groups, including a study group of 49 patients with diabetes and foot ulcers, a control...