A new device has transformed the provision of wound care at Ipswich Hospital and is assisting in solving a problem for patients, in reducing delays and helping heal their wounds.
Until recently, patients at Ipswich Hospital with chronic leg wounds were stuck in a complex situation.
To heal their wounds, they needed compression therapy, but before they could get compression therapy, they needed an arterial assessment to rule out poor blood flow.
The assessment typically required an ultrasound, which many imaging providers wouldn’t, or couldn’t, perform on patients who had open wounds.
“We couldn't heal the wounds because we couldn’t use compression, but we couldn’t even get the patient assessed for compression suitability because we couldn’t get the specialist imaging done in a timely way,” said Kelly Carmont, a Clinical Nurse Consultant with the Wound and Stomal Therapy unit at Ipswich Hospital.
It led to patients feeling like they were stuck in a loop, bounced from hospital to GPs and allied health specialists, costing them money and time.
To break the loop, Ms Carmont requested a new Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) device through West Moreton Health Foundation, the charitable arm of the Health Service.
Compression suitability now assessed quickly
The MESI mTABLET is an advanced ABI measuring device, which helps determine the suitability of patients for compression.
It uses a series of automated blood‑pressure cuffs to quickly measure arterial flow in the lower legs, allowing the health staff to determine on the spot whether a patient is safe to receive compression therapy.
“The MESI has changed the way that we run our service,” Ms Carmont said.
“Now, when people come to see us, they can be assessed almost immediately and moved through to the next stage of treatment. We’re using it on 90 per cent of our patients.
“I can confidently say a lot of the more chronic patients we were seeing for maintenance appointments have now been discharged because they're to a point that their wounds have improved.
“This device is helping us heal patients, while freeing up space in the public hospital system so we’re really appreciative to the West Moreton Health Foundation.”
West Moreton Health Foundation’s CEO Scott Young said health service staff could request unique or specialist equipment.
“We are committed to supporting hospital staff, like Kelly Carmont and the wound team at Ipswich Hospital, because they’re best-placed to see what’s needed for their services,” Mr Young said.
“When a relatively small piece of equipment can help patients heal faster and reduce pressure on our busy clinical teams, it’s an investment with enormous community return.”
