CWCA Advanced Wound Therapies Flashcards

Electrical stimulation (E-stim) therapy in wound care promotes healing primarily through:

Answer: Galvanotaxis — directing cell migration and stimulating ATP production

Electrical stimulation promotes galvanotaxis, directing neutrophils, macrophages, and fibroblasts toward the wound, and stimulates ATP production to accelerate cellular activity.

Which of the following is the PRIMARY goal when using NPWT as a bridge to surgical closure?

Answer: Reduce wound volume and optimize the wound bed for a future skin graft or flap

NPWT bridge therapy reduces wound dimensions, removes exudate, and promotes granulation to optimize the wound for definitive surgical closure.

A patient receiving HBOT for a diabetic foot wound should be monitored for which common side effect?

Answer: Ear and sinus barotrauma from pressure changes

Pressure changes during HBOT can cause barotrauma to the ears and sinuses, requiring equalization techniques and careful patient selection.

Which cellular mechanism explains why low-frequency ultrasound therapy promotes wound healing?

Answer: Acoustic cavitation disrupts biofilm and stimulates fibroblast and macrophage activity

Acoustic cavitation from low-frequency ultrasound creates micro-bubbles that burst biofilm structure and mechanically stimulate healing cells at the wound bed.

Before initiating NPWT on a patient, the wound care clinician must ensure:

Answer: The wound is free of untreated infection, necrotic tissue, and exposed vessels

NPWT requires a wound bed that is adequately debrided, without untreated infection or exposed critical structures, to be safe and effective.

Which of the following best describes a key advantage of bioengineered skin substitutes over traditional split-thickness skin grafts (STSGs) in chronic wound care?

Answer: They eliminate the need for a donor site wound, reducing patient morbidity

Bioengineered skin substitutes require no donor site harvest, eliminating the additional wound and pain associated with split-thickness skin grafting.