Editor's Note: In this interview, Cathy Milne, APRN, MSN, ANP/ACNS-BC, CWOCN-AP, and Jayesh Shah, MD, UHM(ABPM), CWSP, FAPWCA, FCCWS, FUHM, FACP, FACHM discuss new wound dressings and other wound care products they see on the horizon.

Transcript

Dr. Shah:

I'm Dr. Jay Shah. I'm a wound and hyperbaric doctor in San Antonio, Texas. And I have a small group called South Texas Wound Associates. And we provide wound care in all care settings.

Cathy Milne:

And I'm Cathy Milne. I'm an adult nurse practitioner, also board certified as a CWOCN AP. I have a private practice in Connecticut, and I care for people across the continuum.

And what Dr. Shah forgot to say is that we're both co-chairs of WoundCon.

What is new and exciting in the world of dressings?

Dr. Shah:

There is a lot of new stuff from the dressing standpoint. The one I really like when I was going around in the booths [at SAWC Spring 2023], there's a new ointment which is macrophage-based ointment. So, if you really look at it from the ointment or gel-based treatment, we only had growth factor, platelet derived growth factor. And now there's a new ointment which is macrophage-based ointment. So, if you really look at it from the ointment or gel-based treatment, we only had growth factor, platelet derived growth factor. And now we have macrophage-based ointment that's coming out. So that was something good.

Other dressings I liked that are new innovations was for the venous ulcer. There were dressings which were able to absorb the drainage and it can go below your compression bandage. And that was another one that I really liked about new ones that's out there.

I think a lot of these new things keep on coming. They're a lot at bench. But by the time they come to bedside, it takes time.

Cathy Milne:

And I think we're seeing that technology is helping us make decisions where we can take some of the standard dressings, we've all come to know and love and combine them with the other things. And now we have data to say, "yeah, these 2 things really work together" or "maybe they don't." And so, I think that's cool. And I did see that macrophage gel and that was really exciting.

Dr. Shah:

And there's a new enzymatic debrider coming out which is a cool thing. I looked at some of the studies in the morning and that's going to be exciting.

About the Speakers

Jayesh Shah MD, UHM(ABPM), CWSP, FAPWCA, FCCWS, FUHM, FACP, FACHM is an award-winning wound care and hyperbaric physician in active clinical practice. He is Columbia-trained and certified in Wound Management, Board Certified in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine and Internal Medicine. He is a Fellow of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine, American College of Physicians and American College of Clinical Wound Specialist.

He is a superb educator with extensive speaking experience. He is the President of South Texas Wound Associates, where he provides clinical wound care services in San Antonio since past 22 years. He is the President of TIMEO2 Healing Concepts, LLC, which provides consulting and education services in wound care and hyperbaric medicine; Medical Director of Wound Healing Center at Northeast Baptist Hospital and Mission Trail Baptist Wound Healing Center in San Antonio, Texas; Past President of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine; Past President American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin; Past President of Bexar County Medical Society; Current Board of Trustees Member of Texas Medical Association, Current AMA Delegate from Texas; Current Board Member and Regional Director of International Skin Tear Advisory Panel.

Dr. Shah's Disclosures: Consultant/Advisory Board - Medline, V Tail, M3, Integra lifesciences

Cathy is an Advanced Practice WOC Nurse providing care to patients across the continuum in acute care, long-term care, home health and outpatient settings. Employed by Connecticut Clinical Nursing Associates, she also provides consulting to organizations wishing to improve wound outcomes, conducts clinical research, lectures nationally and internationally, and is the Co-Editor of the text Wound, Ostomy, Continence Secrets and provides clinical support to WoundReference.com. Additionally, she serves as an Associate Clinical Professor at the Yale School of Nursing. An active member of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care, she currently serves as a Nurse Board Member. Cathy is the Co-chair of WoundCon, the largest online wound management symposium.