Doctor Bernard went to England to report on the treatment of the wound.

Dr. Phan Duy Kien presented at the EWMA 2024 conference on the topic of venous ulcers - Source: Bernard Wound Center

The European Wounds Conference (EWMA) is Europe's largest annual scientific conference, bringing together leading wound professors and experts from around the world. This year's conference attracted nearly 5,000 participants from 95 countries.

The number of patients with diabetic foot ulcers is increasing.

This conference addressed three key areas: updating the latest guidelines in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers; updating developments in regenerative medicine regarding skin substitutes to promote wound healing; and emphasizing the role of each member, especially nurses, in a multidisciplinary model for intensive care of chronic (difficult-to-heal) wounds.

Returning to Vietnam after this conference, the distinguished physician, Dr. Tran Doan Dao, shared: "Not only in Vietnam, but currently worldwide, the number of people with diabetes is increasing. The increase in the number of people with diabetes leads to an increase in the rate of people suffering from diabetic foot ulcers. If these foot ulcers are left untreated, patients may have to have their legs amputated," Dr. Dao emphasized.

A report by an expert from the United States indicates that the cost of treating diabetic foot ulcers in the US is eight times higher than the cost of treating cancer.

Managing chronic, difficult-to-heal wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers and venous ulcers requires a multidisciplinary approach, and outpatient management of chronic wounds remains challenging in Vietnam.

This expert also emphasized that the fear of amputation is a persistent obsession for most diabetic patients once ulcers begin to appear.

Dr. Tran Doan Dao - Chairman of the Bernard Medical Advisory Board - Wound specialist with over 40 years of experience - attended the EWMA 2024 Conference - Source: Bernard Wound Center

The EWMA 2024 conference also affirmed the crucial role of nurses in wound care. In developed countries, nurses receive very thorough training in wound care. Nurses are the invaluable assistants to doctors. If nurses are well-trained, the wound treatment process will be much more effective.

In the UK, nurses trained according to a 7-level model are able to work independently to care for patients' wounds.

At this conference, many reports highlighted the development of biotechnology for research and the creation of various products for skin regeneration for patients with wounds. The final stage in wound treatment will require covering the patient's wound.

There are many ways to cover wounds, such as allowing the wound to heal naturally, skin grafting, skin flap rotation, and using regenerative products to cover the wound for the patient...

Globally, there is currently a trend towards using regenerative medicine products derived from placental membranes to create skin substitutes that can cover wounds. Although the cost of these new products is still high, this will be an inevitable trend in the future.

To cover wounds, doctors often perform autologous skin grafting; however, the new trend is to use skin substitutes derived from placental membrane... - Source: Bernard Wound Center

The wound has not healed for 38 years.

Among the 1,200 presentations and 733 ePoster scientific papers at the EWMA 2024 conference, two papers were by Dr. Phan Duy Kien and his colleagues. Dr. Duy Kien was the official Vietnamese speaker at this largest conference in Europe.

After a period of both clinical practice and scientific research on technologies for treating venous ulcers of the lower extremities (VLU), Dr. Phan Duy Kien and his colleagues submitted two papers to the European Wound Conference 2024: "The combined effectiveness of compression, biological foam dressing for edge protection, and venous intervention in the treatment of venous ulcers of the lower extremities" and "Case report: Application of negative pressure bypass technique in the supportive treatment of venous ulcers".

Accordingly, the Bernard wound care team has successfully applied advanced wound treatment techniques from around the world, healing many wound patients, especially those with complex ulcers.

A typical case is that of a 64-year-old male patient who had a non-healing venous ulcer for 6 months due to post-thrombotic syndrome.

Wound specialist Bernard noted that this case did not yet require deep vein thrombosis due to post-thrombotic syndrome, but negative pressure aspiration could be used to promote healing in addition to compression therapy to control the increased venous pressure in the lower extremities.

Thirty days after the application of bridging negative pressure aspiration, the wound had developed more granulation tissue and the exudate was controlled. The wound was completely healed after 247 days.

Furthermore, wound specialists at Bernard emphasize the importance of seamlessly applying multiple healing methods simultaneously to accelerate healing, rather than relying on just a few isolated approaches.

Wounds that are slow to heal account for up to 85% of cases.

Bernard Wound Care, a specialized wound treatment center for diabetic foot ulcers located at 22 Phan Dinh Giot Street, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, is considered the first specialized unit in Ho Chi Minh City focusing on treating difficult-to-heal wounds, particularly diabetic foot ulcers, burns, and scars.

Since its establishment, Bernard has received over a thousand patients for examination and treatment of wounds; of which difficult-to-heal wounds account for 85% (diabetic foot ulcers account for over 50%, the rest are other common difficult-to-heal wounds such as venous ulcers, arterial ulcers, pressure ulcers, burns and scars...). The center has successfully treated these wounds, with a healing rate of over 96%. The average healing time is 35.6 days. The longest treatment period was 247 days.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bac-si-bernard-sang-anh-bao-cao-dieu-tri-vet-thuong-20240529201848748.htm