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Chronic wound of iatrogenic origin — an adverse event or a medical error?
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Abstract
A chronic wound is more frequently considered as venous ulceration rather than ischemic ulceration. Numerous reports concern the issue of decubitus ulcers, which should be treated as a complication during patient nursing at intensive care units and, not only surgical, hospital departments.
The issue of the chronic wound of iatrogenic origin is rarely the subject matter of both conference and literature reports. We describe 16 patients with a wide range of wounds of iatrogenic origin, located within lower extremities. Obviously, they resulted from negligence in having taken proper medical and nursing history data, no or insufficiently precise sphygmoscopy at the periphery of a limb, or complications due to a chosen treatment method.
We emphasize the prevalence of a need for saving some patients’ lives over the following: their health condition, the quality of life, or the resulting cripplehood associated with the loss of one’s extremity. We also pay attention to the necessity of taking an accurate patient’s medical history data, carrying out a proper physical examination, ordering additional tests and examinations in preoperative patients, especially the ones, in whom used therapeutic procedures require good blood supply in the periphery of their lower extremities.
Abstract
A chronic wound is more frequently considered as venous ulceration rather than ischemic ulceration. Numerous reports concern the issue of decubitus ulcers, which should be treated as a complication during patient nursing at intensive care units and, not only surgical, hospital departments.
The issue of the chronic wound of iatrogenic origin is rarely the subject matter of both conference and literature reports. We describe 16 patients with a wide range of wounds of iatrogenic origin, located within lower extremities. Obviously, they resulted from negligence in having taken proper medical and nursing history data, no or insufficiently precise sphygmoscopy at the periphery of a limb, or complications due to a chosen treatment method.
We emphasize the prevalence of a need for saving some patients’ lives over the following: their health condition, the quality of life, or the resulting cripplehood associated with the loss of one’s extremity. We also pay attention to the necessity of taking an accurate patient’s medical history data, carrying out a proper physical examination, ordering additional tests and examinations in preoperative patients, especially the ones, in whom used therapeutic procedures require good blood supply in the periphery of their lower extremities.
Keywords
chronic wound, chronic ischemia of flower extrenities, ABI
About this articleTitle
Chronic wound of iatrogenic origin — an adverse event or a medical error?
Journal
Chirurgia Polska (Polish Surgery)
Issue
Pages
36-44
Published online
2014-11-13
Page views
1673
Article views/downloads
1897
Bibliographic record
Chirurgia Polska 2014;16(1):36-44.
Keywords
chronic wound
chronic ischemia of flower extrenities
ABI
Authors
Mariola Sznapka
Grzegorz Biolik
Jacek Kostecki
Damian Ziaja
