HOW TO PREVENT AND RESOLVE POSTOPERATIVE WOUND COMPLICATIONS
AND
REDUCE HOSPITAL READMISSION RISKS
AT LOW COST
Postoperative wound complications remain one of the main causes for hospital readmissions today.
Common surgeries, for example, vein harvesting for coronary artery bypass grafting often bring patients back to the hospital bed with postoperative wound complications, which often involve additional costly interventions.
Such events negatively affect both the patients and medical professionals. Patients are subject to unexpected painful and expensive procedures, and may have to remain in medical care for much longer than anticipated. Medical professionals lose reimbursements and earn lower ratings from regulatory agencies.
These lose-lose situations, however, are completely avoidable and unnecessary.
ENLUXTRA Functionally Self-Adaptive Dressings offer an easy and inexpensive way to resolve and/or prevent postoperative wound complications and give both the patients and clinicians what they expect and deserve - a quick recovery with lowered risk of readmission.
Common surgeries, for example, vein harvesting for coronary artery bypass grafting often bring patients back to the hospital bed with postoperative wound complications, which often involve additional costly interventions.
Such events negatively affect both the patients and medical professionals. Patients are subject to unexpected painful and expensive procedures, and may have to remain in medical care for much longer than anticipated. Medical professionals lose reimbursements and earn lower ratings from regulatory agencies.
These lose-lose situations, however, are completely avoidable and unnecessary.
ENLUXTRA Functionally Self-Adaptive Dressings offer an easy and inexpensive way to resolve and/or prevent postoperative wound complications and give both the patients and clinicians what they expect and deserve - a quick recovery with lowered risk of readmission.
Case study: Postoperative wound complications resolved in 1 week and 2 dressing changes
Below is a case study that demonstrates just how effective Enluxtra dressings can be in resolving inflammation of a postoperative wound.
The 73-year-old male patient, a smoker, has undergone a vein harvesting procedure for the subsequent major surgery. His health history included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, peripheral arterial disease, hyperlipidemia, amputation of big toe (dry gangrene). He was later released into home health care agency and was met with complications of his leg wound. The wound became infected and its healing had been compromised by inflammation and accumulating slough. Edematous condition developed around the wound edges.
Initially the patient was given an order for wet to dry dressing with changes twice daily, but the home health nurse attending to the patient suggested using Enluxtra based on her previous experience, and the PCP has agreed. In a matter of ONE week and 2 dressing changes, wound infection has been completely resolved and the danger of hospital readmission averted.
The patient remained in home health care and had been treated with Enluxtra dressings until full closure of the wound.
The 73-year-old male patient, a smoker, has undergone a vein harvesting procedure for the subsequent major surgery. His health history included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, peripheral arterial disease, hyperlipidemia, amputation of big toe (dry gangrene). He was later released into home health care agency and was met with complications of his leg wound. The wound became infected and its healing had been compromised by inflammation and accumulating slough. Edematous condition developed around the wound edges.
Initially the patient was given an order for wet to dry dressing with changes twice daily, but the home health nurse attending to the patient suggested using Enluxtra based on her previous experience, and the PCP has agreed. In a matter of ONE week and 2 dressing changes, wound infection has been completely resolved and the danger of hospital readmission averted.
The patient remained in home health care and had been treated with Enluxtra dressings until full closure of the wound.
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Proper dressing application calls for substantial overlap of the dressing onto the skin around the wound. Notice that folded gauze was added on top of the dressing along the wound site to maximize contact with the wound surface for better exudate absorption.
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Enluxtra Dressings for pediatric surgical/trauma wounds
Why does Enluxtra work for postoperative wounds?
Any break in the skin surface creates a potential for bacterial contamination; postoperative wounds are especially prone to risk of infection. Enluxtra dressings’ functionality is geared towards continuous bioburden reduction, keeping the wound clean and protected while maintaining the optimal moist healing environment at all times. Self-adaptive properties of the dressing material counterbalance any changes that happen in the wound, always keeping dry areas moist and, at the same time, effectively managing exudate flow over draining areas.
If the wound is already inflamed and sloughy, the constant moist healing environment becomes conducive to natural autolytic debridement, subsequently reducing the biofilm formation and slough re-accumulation through proper evacuation of both the harmful fluids AND larger particles that result from slough and necrotic tissue breakdown process. Bacterial burden is also reduced as the pathogens are sequestered inside the dressing material and deprived of water necessary for their replication.
If the wound is already inflamed and sloughy, the constant moist healing environment becomes conducive to natural autolytic debridement, subsequently reducing the biofilm formation and slough re-accumulation through proper evacuation of both the harmful fluids AND larger particles that result from slough and necrotic tissue breakdown process. Bacterial burden is also reduced as the pathogens are sequestered inside the dressing material and deprived of water necessary for their replication.
Proper application is essential
Proper application techniques are of paramount importance and will result in the fastest possible healing at the lowest cost.
- When sized correctly, Enluxtra dressing covers the entire periwound area and overlaps healthy skin to ensure the maximum possible protection from contaminants.
- Full contact with the wound and periwound areas is required for the dressing to respond to changes in the wound environment and to effectively absorb the drainage.
- Dressing change must be performed before the exudate reaches the dressing edge.
- The initial frequency of dressing changes should be higher for heavily draining and sloughy wounds.
- Once the wound is slough-free, change frequency may be gradually tapered off to extend dressing wear to up to 5-7 days.
