Wound Cleansing and Irrigation
Key Practice Points ▪ Thorough wound cleansing and irrigation are the most important steps in repairing wounds and lacerations. ▪ Povidone-iodine solution (not scrub preparation) is the most effective skin,…
Emergency Wound Care: An Overview
Key Practice Points ▪ The average laceration cared for by emergency caregivers is 1 to 3 cm in length, with 13% of lacerations considered significantly contaminated. ▪ The most common…
Patient Evaluation and Wound Assessment
Key Practice Points ▪ To prevent unexpected syncope and to provide for patient comfort during wound care, the patient is placed in the supine position. Parents or friends, who want…
Wound Care and the Pediatric Patient
Key Practice Points ▪ Addressing the emotional needs of children and parents is as important as wound care. ▪ If the history is inconsistent with the wounds, physical abuse of…
Wound Healing and Cosmetic Outcome
Key Practice Points ▪ All lacerations produce scars. ▪ The function of a scar is to repair a wound with collagen, not to restore the original appearance of the injured…
Anatomy of Wound Repair
Key Practice Points ▪ The most important layer of skin for wound closure is the tough dermis. It is the “anchor” for sutures. ▪ Proper and careful apposition of the…
Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is common, occurring—if bicuspid aortic valve (AV) is excluded—in approximately 1% of all live births. The most common defects and the incidence of each are outlined…
Transthoracic Echocardiography Standard Views
In the ICU, transthoracic imaging is usually the first echocardiographic imaging modality performed and may yield sufficient clinical information without the need to proceed to TEE. TTE and TEE both…
Lung Ultrasound
Ultrasound waves are unable to penetrate aerated lung tissue. Historically, this has limited lung ultrasound almost exclusively to the evaluation of pleural effusions. More recently, the recognition that analysis of…
Prosthetic Valves
In the practice guidelines published in 1996 by the American Stroke Association and (SCA), the assessment of valve replacement surgery is a category II indication for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) (TEE…
