Wound odor

The production of wound odor can represent a major problem for patients and their carers. Wounds most commonly associated with odor production include leg ulcers and fungating lesions of all types. The smeU from these wounds is caused by a cocktail of volatile agents that includes short-chain organic acids, such as n-butyric, n-valeric, n-caproic, and n-caprylic acids produced by anaerobic bacteria, together with a mixture of amines and diamines such as cadaverine and putrescine that are produced by the metabolic processes of other proteolytic bacteria. 

As the human nose is an imperfect instrument for creating and conducting standardized tests and assessments of objectionable odors, test results are uniquely dependent on the odor acuity and consistency of the assessors. The terms expert or experienced judge have been used, often without further details on the definition of an expert. In some axillary odor trials, assessors were reportedly selected on their odor acuity. In most clinical trials where wound odor is included in the assessment of improvanent of wound healing, the assessor is usually a nurse, a wound clinic practitioner, or so-called study personnel who presumably have expertise in caring for all aspects of wounds but may not be selected based on odor acuity. In some trials the patients themselves are required to evaluate odor, either with or without an additional evaluation by a professional. 

Different types of category scales have been used to evaluate wound odor in clinical settings by either health practitioners or patients. For example, many clinical trials have used a four-point category scale comprising no odor, little, moderate, and severe... 

A wound-odor measurement scale offering greater discriminatory ability is a 10 cm line scale labeled numerically along the scale from 0 to 10 (0 corresponding to no wound odor, 1-4 to mildly offensive, 5-8 to moderately offensive, and 9-10 to extremely offensive ). This method can be used to monitor wound odor on a daily basis, but it can often be difhcult to compare ratings across different time periods, sessions, or settings as sensory measurement can be affected by the context in which a stimulus is assessed. In this respect, the discriminative capability of a four-point scale is better suited for assessing the improvement of wound odor in clinical practice. 

Halazone, W,A/-dichloro-7 -carboxybenzenesulfonamide [80-13-7] is suitable for the decontamination of water, as is also succinchlorimide, /V-ch1orosuccinimide [128-09-6] which is a white crystalline compound having a chlorine odor. Succinchlorimide is strongly bactericidal when compared to hypochlorites, and is less affected by organic matter than halazone. However, it is inferior to hypochlorites as a cysticide (29). Chloroazodin, also known as azochloramide and W,A/-dichloro-azodicarbonamidine [502-98-7] is claimed to be relatively nontoxic to tissue. AppHed to a wound it acts as a mild and slow oxidant (30). 

The nurse should take and record vital signs. When appropriate, it is important to obtain a description of the signs and symptoms of the infection from the patient or family. The nurse assesses the infected area (when possible) and records finding on the patient s chart. It is important to describe accurately any signs and symptoms related to the patient s infection, such as color and lype of drainage from a wound, pain, redness and inflammation, color of sputum, or presence of an odor. In addition, the nurse should note the patient s general appearance. A culture and sensitivity test is almost always ordered, and the nurse must obtain the results before giving the first dose of penicillin. 

Secondary symptoms Generalized pain of the body, tiredness and weakness, fear of cold or having chills, scanty pus which is thin and without odor, weeping skin ulcers, an open wound with a purple or pale color, deformation of joints and atrophy of muscles. 

Self-Test 4.10B The Codex Ebers, an Egyptian medical papyrus, describes the use of garlic to treat many ailments, including the cleansing of wounds. Chemists today have discovered that the oxide of diallyl disulfide (the volatile compound responsible for garlic odor) is a powerful antibacterial agent more potent against typhoid than penicillin. At 177°C and 200 Torr, a sample of diallyl disulfide vapor has a density of 1.04 g-L 1. What is the molar mass of diallyl disulfide ... 

Phenols are extracted commercially from coal tar into aqueous base as the phenolate ions. The major commercial use of phenol is in the manufacture of phenolic resin polymers, usually with formaldehyde. Phenols and cresols are used as antiseptics and disinfectants in areas such as bams where the phenol odor can be tolerated. Phenol was the original antiseptic used on wounds and in surgery, starting with the work of Lord Lister in 1885. 

When you have wound a reasonable quantity of polymer break the rope with the forceps and submerge the polymer that you have collected on the rod into a beaker of acetone or alcohol. You can unwind the rope with the forceps (do not handle with your bare hands yet) to make better contact with the wash solvent. Leave the polymer in the solvent for at least an hour, or better, overnight. Remove, rinse with a little fresh solvent, then with watei and dry. At this point the nylon should have absolutely no odor and is safe to handle with your bare hands. Examine the properties of a small length of your sample. Is it strong Does it resemble nylon fishing line ... 

The formed colloidal gel also produces a sorption gradient for soluble components within the serous exudate thereby allowing the removal of toxic compounds arising from bacterial or cellular destruction. However, during use, the dressing in contact with the wound liquefies to produce a pus-like liquid with a somewhat strong odor. 

Advanced wound management products containing silver have been developed to treat difficult-to-heal wounds, chronic ulcers, and extensive burns. Odor absorbing dressings adsorb polarized bacteria onto the surface of the charcoal cloth used in the formulation. The silver present in the dressing exerts a bactericidal effect that gradually diminishes as wound exudate saturates the material. 

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