References
A soft silicone foam dressing that aids healing and comfort in oncology care
Abstract
Maintaining skin integrity plays a key role in the ongoing care and comfort of patients at the end of life. Unfortunately, patients receiving cancer treatments are at higher risk of altered skin integrity. Cancer treatments involve multiple modalities, all of which impair wound healing. Excess exudate can be distressing to patients, resulting in catastrophic damage to the wound bed and surrounding skin, reducing quality of life and increasing the need for specialist services. This article describes the use of the Kliniderm foam silicone range of dressings, in combination with best practice, in the treatment of wounds in the oncology setting. The case study evidence presented indicates that this range of dressings is useful in the management of radiotherapy and oncology wounds. It had a positive effect on the exudate level, wound-association pain and the peri-wound skin in these patients, aiding the management of the wound bed.
Patients with cancer can experience skin damage or breakdown due to the effects of radiation, chemotherapy, malnutrition and disease progression (Payne et al 2008). Unfortunately, these patients often have several symptoms, such as lymphoedema, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, malnutrition, fungating wounds and psychological issues, that are secondary to their disease and can impair tissue repair. Coupled with the intensity of many cancer treatments, this can make wound management a challenging, long-term issue for these patients, whose lives can be severely affected (O'Regan, 2007).
Cancer can give rise to multiple skin lesions or fungating wounds (O'Regan, 2007). In addition, radiation-induced damage to the epithelium can result in skin breakdown, lower tensile strength, atypical fibroblasts and delayed healing (Anderson and Hamm, 2012). As such, radiotherapy can both impede wound healing and breach skin integrity. Chemotherapy can also cause significant wound-related problems. Administration of specific chemotherapeutic agents can result in an inflammatory reaction in tissue that has been previously irradiated (O'Regan, 2007). The main effects of a chemotherapeutic drug on wound healing include delayed inflammation, decreased fibrin deposition and collagen synthesis, and delayed wound contraction (Anderson and Hamm, 2012).
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