M.O.I.S.T. Concept for the Local Therapy of Chronic Wounds: An International Update

Chronic wounds remain a significant clinical challenge both for those affected and for healthcare systems. The treatment is often comprised and complex. All patients should receive wound care that is integrated into a holistic approach involving local management that addresses the underlying etiology and provides for gold standard therapy to support healing, avoid complications and be more cost effective. There have been significant advances in medicine over the last few decades. The development of new technologies and therapeutics for the local treatment of wounds is also constantly increasing. To help standardize clinical practice with regard to the multitude of wound products, the M.O.I.S.T. concept was developed by a multidisciplinary expert group. The M stands for moisture balance, O for oxygen balance, I for infection control, S for supporting strategies, and T for tissue management. Since the M.O.I.S.T. concept, which originated in the German-speaking countries, is now intended to provide healthcare professionals with an adapted instrument to be used in clinical practice, and a recent update to the concept has been undertaken by a group of interdisciplinary experts to align it with international standards. The M.O.I.S.T. concept can now be used internationally both as an educational tool and for the practical implementation of modern local treatment concepts for patients with chronic wounds and can also be used in routine clinical practice.

Embedding Wound Hygiene into a proactive wound healing strategy

Foreword. Wound Hygiene: the next stage

Since a panel published the first consensus document on Wound Hygiene in March 2020, there has been a flurry of activity in support of this newly established concept in proactive wound healing. 1 The document concluded that all wounds, particularly hard-to-heal ones, will benefit from Wound Hygiene, which should be initiated at the first referral, following a full holistic assessment to identify the wound aetiology and comorbidities, and then implemented at every dressing change until full healing occurs. 1 The consensus has since been bolstered by educational webinars; competency-based skills training and support; development of international Wound Hygiene ambassadors; a survey of 1478 respondents, published in July 2021; 2 and a case study supplement, published in January 2022, featuring a range of wound types, anatomies and underlying conditions on the improvements in wound-healing progress that can be achieved. 3 Wound Hygiene has gained its own identity and is now a term in and of itself, that encompasses a 4-step protocol of care. It is an antibiofilm approach that is increasingly being used across wound care. The results of the survey 2 were particularly encouraging for seeing how far Wound Hygiene has come, and how quickly: More than half (57.4%) had heard of the concept of Wound Hygiene Of those, 75.3% have implemented Wound Hygiene Overall, following implementation of Wound Hygiene, 80.3% of respondents reported improved healing rates. 2 However, the top three barriers identified by the survey—lack of confidence, competence and research data—show that there is more to be done to support Wound Hygiene in practice. 2 As a result, a consensus panel of international key opinion leaders convened virtually in the summer of 2021 to discuss what has been done so far, the outputs of the survey, and ideas for addressing the unmet needs identified by the results. The result is this publication, which represents an addendum to the initial consensus document, broadening support for implementation of Wound Hygiene. This document will reflect on the reasons Wound Hygiene has been successful in its first two years of implementation, reiterating its DNA: Do not wait to treat hard-to-heal wounds Use a simple 4-step approach Enable all healthcare professionals to implement and use Wound Hygiene. The document will also discuss the evolution of the Wound Hygiene concept, focusing on how and when to implement Wound Hygiene on all tissue types of hard-to-heal wounds, and proposing what these are. The panel has expanded the framework in which Wound Hygiene is used, with the ultimate objective of introducing the concept of ‘embedding Wound Hygiene intro a proactive wound healing strategy.’ Key inefficiencies are often observed along the journeys of people living with hard-to-heal wounds. The limited number of specialised healthcare professionals and the resulting delays in reaching them may increase the likelihood of a hard-to-heal wound developing. In a world where so much is happening so quickly that we may, at times, feel powerless to drive change, the panel wants to provide further guidance to propel the use of Wound Hygiene. The concept of Wound Hygiene is resonating, and the panel wants you to know that in whatever region you work, in whatever area of clinical practice, you are enabled to make this change. Wielding the 4-step Wound Hygiene protocol consistently is a key action every healthcare professional in every care setting can take to tackle the global wound care crisis. Wound Hygiene has taken off—now, where do we want to land? In a place where Wound Hygiene is practised on all wounds, at every stage, until healing. The panel once again recognises that the community of global healthcare providers should consider their local standards and guidelines when applying the recommendations of this document. To this end, the panel has created a flexible 3-phase framework that situates Wound Hygiene as integral to proactive wound healing. The panel hopes you will continue to implement Wound Hygiene and see the benefits it can bring to people living with wounds, as well as those who care for them.

Prevalence of eating disorders on male team sports players

OBJECTIVE

To determinate the prevalence of EDs in national adult male team sports players.

METHODOLOGY

An observational study was conducted with 124 football, rugby, volleyball, handball, water polo, baseball and hockey players ranging between 18 and 55 years old. All subjects signed the informed consent before participating in the study. Data were collected via an online form including four validated questionnaires: The Eating Habits Questionnaire for Athletes, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40), the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 and the Body Shape Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted with the software IBM SPSS V.23.0.0.

RESULTS

18.5% of the population presented a clinical profile compatible with an ED diagnosis. We cannot confidently say that the prevalence of EDs within our sample is conditioned by the analysed variables.

CONCLUSION

Male team sports players may also be a high-risk group in the development of EDs. Risk factors such as young age, semiprofessional sporting status and body fat composition could influence its development.

Optimal management of diabetic foot osteomyelitis: challenges and solutions

Purpose: Diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) is the most frequent infection associated with diabetic foot ulcers, occurs in >20% of moderate infections and 50%-60% of severe infections, and is associated with high rates of amputation. DFO represents a challenge in both diagnosis and therapy, and many consequences of its condition are related to late diagnosis, delayed referral, or ill-indicated treatment. This review aimed to analyze the current evidence on DFO management and to discuss advantages and disadvantages of different treatment options. Methods: A narrative review of the evidence was begun by searching Medline and PubMed databases for studies using the keywords "management", "diabetic foot", "osteomyelitis", and "diabetic foot osteomyelitis" from 2008 to 2018. Results: We found a great variety of studies focusing on both medical and surgical therapies showing a similar rate of effectiveness and outcomes; however, the main factors in choosing one over the other seem to be associated with the presence of soft-tissue infection or ischemia and the clinical presentation of DFO. Conclusion: Further randomized controlled trials with large samples and long-term follow-up are necessary to demonstrate secondary outcomes, such as recurrence, recurrent ulceration, and reinfection associated with both medical and surgical options.

[Activated carbon and silver biocide dressings for diabetic foot. A descriptive analysis]

Bacterial colonization without clinical signs of infection has been established as a cause in the delay of the cicatrisation process of diabetic foot ulcers; therefore, among other factors, it is necessary to control the bacterial amount present. One method to carry out this control consists in applying local biocide dressings. To evaluate its safety and effectiveness, the authors have gathered data from a sample of patients suffering from ulcers which have a positive microbiological culture but do not show any complementary complications such as osteomyelitis, severe infection in soft tissues, ischemic necrosis infection, and whose local treatment during 15 days following the positive culture taken at the lesion consisted of the application of the aforementioned biocide dressings. A total of 68 patients have been included in this sample.