In vascular surgery, the use of photography is commonplace. Wound monitoring requires visual analysis and comparison at different stages. Until now, photography has been used extensively without any formal framework. The Pixacare application makes this use safe and standardized. Illustration at the Haguenau hospital.
In the vascular surgery department at Haguenau hospital, one in three patients suffers from a chronic wound. Until now, staff have been using patient software with specific forms. However, the software lacked fluidity, and was particularly cumbersome when it came to transferring photos, making follow-up difficult.
It was with COVID that things accelerated. During the health crisis, it was more difficult to summon patients, and the department feared disruptions in care.
"The lack of access to care led us to quickly opt for a solution dedicated to wound monitoring," recalls vascular surgeon Dr Guillaume Maxant. Three applications were tested, and Pixacare came out on top.
"We appreciated its flexibility (usable on tablet, smartphone, computer) and simplicity in accessing patient records." Indeed, all you have to do is enter the patient's name, and his or her file opens. After that, everything went relatively quickly. The photo library was quickly set up, interfacing with the DPI was simple and, in less than two months, all staff were trained in its use.
Quickly trained, the department's nurses were able to use the application with ease. At the patient's bedside, the nurse takes a snapshot of the wound. She can then record a whole range of information: body part, wound size, depth, budding, fibrin, etc.
The tool is really very intuitive and easy to use," explains Marie Lickel, DU wound and healing nurse. It's visual and concrete. It provides real continuity between the consultation departments and vascular surgery, as well as with all the other departments.
And the results have been immediate. Since Pixacare was introduced, it is estimated that one third to one half of consultation slots have been freed up. This corresponds to patients whose wounds are progressing well. This takes a lot of pressure off us," insists Dr Maxant. And it means we can be more available for patients with higher risks, or for emergencies."
Another positive impact is on home hospitalization (HAD). The first benefit is that, thanks to remote monitoring, patients are more likely to remain at home, avoiding unnecessary return trips to hospital. In this case, the HAH nurse provides the care and sends follow-up information to the hospital team.
"We have more frequent follow-up than before, with a return visit to the wound every 15 days," notes Dr Maxant. Before the arrival of Pixacare, I had to send an email to the surgeon's secretary," recalls Sylviane Guillard, HAD Nord-Alsace care nurse, "and wait for her reply by email. There were a lot of intermediaries, and not a very secure environment."
In many cases, when the condition of a wound deteriorates, this solution proves its worth. For a HAH patient, hospitalization can sometimes be avoided. With photo evidence, the doctor can give new indications to the private nurse and keep the patient at home. And for hospitalized patients, the risk of infection is limited. "We often avoid having to re-open the dressing, which presents a risk of contamination", emphasizes Marie Lickel.
In a very short space of time, the application has won over both the hospital and the HAD. And Pixacare has no intention of stopping there. Artificial intelligence will be integrated into the solution. It will soon be able to "divert the wound to automatically calculate its surface", explains Vincent Marceddu, co-founder and technical director of Pixacare.
AI will then analyze the composition of the wound to calculate the percentage of budding, fibrin and necrosis." Data that will move the vascular surgery department forward.
Thanks to these developments, we hope to formalize our approaches and offer more personalized treatments," explains Dr. Maxant. On another front, we'll be able to make progress in pathology by gathering structured data". All of which opens up new prospects for the specialty.
Article credits: SIH Solutions 2022.
