Cath Lab Digest

  An easy way to seal a negative pressure wound dressing on a sacral wound (or any place that has a very irregular surface) is to take a flat barrier ring used as an alternative to stoma paste for ostomy appliances, and cut 1/3 to 1/2 off the bottom to make a “smile.” Apply skin prep to the entire periwound. Place the smile-shaped barrier (the piece of flat barrier ring) and while it is tacky, but not wet, press it into the skin prep at the most distal part of the sacral wound between the cheeks. Then apply a bit more skin prep to the top of the ring and wait until it is tacky.

Rachelle Spurlin, RN, BSN, CWOCN
Cami Hansen, RN
Amy Squier, RN
McKay Dee Hospital Wound and Ostomy Dept, Ogden, UT

  One of the most important roles that a CWOCN plays is that of patient advocate. Recently my team and I were able to improve the quality of life of a patient by appropriately treating a 10-year-old vascular ulcer. The key to this success was a little pushback on the doctor that was convinced this wound would never heal.

  When patients wish to wear an ostomy pouch or wafer while showering, we encourage them to use “Press and Seal” plastic wrap, available in any grocery store to keep the shower water off the appliance. If the wafer is the only portion that is left on the skin, the plastic wrap can be removed so the effluent drains away.
— Mary Ann Mullaney, WCN, MS, CGNP, RN

  Selling wound care products to hospitals is highly competitive. It’s a crowded market, and finding your differentiator can be a challenge. That was the position that Hollister Wound Care (Libertyville, IL) found itself in a few years ago when Mary Regan joined the company as its Director of Clinical Affairs. Her first mission was to provide comprehensive training to nearly 70 sales representatives spread throughout the nation in less than 3 months. Mary identified specific requirements for the sales training she needed to roll out.

Barbara Zeiger.mp4