Wound care puzzle update

[ErinS, BSN, RN]

So my gentleman with the liver failure with the giant hip wound has some new things going on.

The wound is getting worse daily. In addition to getting bigger, the drainage continues to increase, despite starting antibiotics. The wound bed actually looks fairly clean (no slough), and the drainage appears to be ascites. This gentleman has also gone from needing a tap 2 times a week to not having one for over a week and his belly is soft. Our doc thinks the ascites is leaking through the tissues into the hip wound.

The nurses have been changing the dressing 4-6 times a day. We decided in IDT to drape the wound with tegaderm and apply an ostomy bag to the wound to manage drainage.

Hopefully this will work!

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Fingers crossed!

[ErinS, BSN, RN]

Although this pt appears to be entering his dying process, the ostomy over the wound seems to have promoted some healing- I think it has just kept the wound the right moisture without being packed pull of really wet stuff.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

And it's kept the ascites down.