COVID-19
Since January 2020, the world has been experiencing the impact of COVID-19. The rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic has hospitals and acute care facilities changing standard operating procedures. As a result, wound care services, procedures and surgeries are undergoing considerable change, which has a major impact on patients and their wellbeing.
Patients with wounds represent an extremely vulnerable population. The case reports and clinical seriessuggest that the factors associated with poor prognosis from COVID-19 are: older age, hypertension, chronic lung disease, diabetes and obesity. Patients with these disease symptoms or diagnosis fall into the same group that has an increased risk of developing chronic wounds.
The above poses unique challenges to providing good care to patients with active skin wounds. Patients with wounds have higher rates of ER visits, length-of-stay, amputation, and healthcare costs. When complicated wounds are not treated adequately, it is likely that the condition might worsen and the patient needs hospitalization.
Great dilemma
The great dilemma that is now at play is that these patients are considered high-risk if they are affected by COVID-19, however, they’re also considered high-risk for amputations, or even death, if their wound care immediately stops. The consequences of interrupting or even temporarily stopping care for patients with complicated wounds are presented in the following two articles:
- Impact of the COVID-19 lock down strategy on vascular surgery practice: more major amputations than usual
- Diabetic Foot Problems During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care Center: The Emergency Among the Emergencies
The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders poses that a notable difficulty in coordinating wound care for patients is the high number of places where wound patients receive care including: hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, emergency departments, surgical centers, skilled nursing facilities, physician offices, and in the home[1].
What is needed are temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to give flexibility to wound care clinicians to provide necessary (and at times life and limb saving) procedures and products to treat their patients in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a pandemic model of care with shifting sites of care and reduced access and utilization, the major goal must be to reduce wound and diabetic foot-related hospitalizations and exposure to patients at risk for death and amputations from COVID-19.
Shift from wound care to wound healing.
This shift means that efficient wound management has to be paramount. It helps to reduce the burden on the health system and keeps our patients safe. During the pandemic, patients are safer at home and DEBx Medical enables them to be treated where they’re the safest.
Our product DEBRICHEM is a novel desiccant gel for chemical debridement. The product is intended to eliminate the biofilm and remove the infection in just one single application. DEBRICHEM is easy to use in a short and comprehensive procedure: after undressing and cleaning the wound, Debrichem is applied to the wound bed, incubated for up to 60 seconds and rinsed off. The wound is then rinsed and dressed according to the doctor’s choice.
The procedure can be carried out by a trained healthcare professional in any medical setting: hospital, nursing home or home care. Due to its fast action and applicability outside the surgery room, DEBRICHEM can easily be integrated within standard wound care procedures [2]
With this we reduce the pressure on the healthcare system and we do not expose patients to unnecessary risks. Most important, we enable continued care for patients with wounds.
[1] https://www.woundcarestakeholders.org/advocacy/covid-19-wound-care-resources
[2] Cogo et al, Wounds 2021;33.1-8
