The aim of the study was to investigate the bacterial profile of chronic venous leg ulcers and the importance of the profile to ulcer development. Patients with persisting venous leg ulcers were included and followed for 8 weeks. Every second week, ulcer samples were collected and the bacterial species present were identified. More than one bacterial species were detected in all the ulcers. The most common bacteria found were Staphylococcus aureus (found in 93.5% of the ulcers), Enterococcus faecalis (71.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (52.2%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (45.7%), Proteus species (41.3%) and anaerobic bacteria (39.1%). Resident bacterial species were present in all the ulcers. In 76% of the ulcers, two or more (up to five) resident bacterial species were found. The most common resident bacterial species were S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, ulcers with P. aeruginosa were found to be significantly larger than ulcers without the presence of P. aeruginosa (P < 0.005). Our study demonstrated that the chronic wound is colonised by multiple bacterial species and that once they are established many of them persist in the wound. Our results suggest that the presence of P. aeruginosa in venous leg ulcers can induce ulcer enlargement and/or cause delayed healing.

Smokers have a higher wound infection rate than never-smokers and 4 weeks of abstinence from smoking reduces the incidence of wound infections.

Many different factors must be considered before selecting a wound healing model to use for a specific study. A wide variety of models have been developed that examine different aspects of the repair response, both in vitro and in vivo. In this review article, we focus on those systems that are most widely used for studies on adult soft tissue healing. Advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed, along with relevant background information to help guide decision-making.

No abstract

The aim of this article was to investigate the frequency, severity and diversity of peristomal skin disorders among individuals with a permanent stoma in a community population. All individuals with a permanent stoma (n=630) in a Danish community population were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study. A total of 202 individuals (101 men; 101 women) agreed to participate. Data were collected through questionnaires and clinical examinations. It was found that peristomal skin disorders were higher for participants with an ileostomy (57%) and urostomy (48%) than in those with a colostomy (35%). Of the diagnoses of skin disorders, 77% could be related to contact with stoma effluent. Only 38% of diagnosed participants agreed that they had a skin disorder and more than 80% did not seek professional health care. The study revealed a high frequency of peristomal skin disorders. Participants frequently failed to perceive that they had a skin irritation and did not seek help. This suggests that more education and perhaps regular, annual follow-up visits at local stoma care clinics are needed.