Wound Assessment

The EPISCAN can be a valuable tool in the assessment of all types of chronic wounds and can be used in the following ways:

Visualization of tissue beneath the wound and edema

Up until now the caregiver could only visually assess the surface of a wound. The EPISCAN allows the user to look at tissue beneath the wound to see what is occurring. It can aid treatment decisions by helping to determine how deep the wound penetrates, the quality of the tissue beneath the wound, and visualize edema which can be a prime reason for slow healing. The EPISCAN is the perfect tool to monitor changes to tissue structure and the effectiveness of treatments.

Visualization of wound undermining and tract formation

It is common for wounds to undermine under the skin expanding much wider than the wound surface. The EPISCAN allows the user to image the peri-wound area to see if undermining is occurring. This can change the treatment regime and require more aggressive debridement or packing of the wound. The EPISCAN can also visualize sinus tracts whose presence may necessitate more aggressive treatments. This may also alert the healthcare provider to the possibility of ostoemyelitis which may warrant further diagnostic testing.

Wound Image showing Tracking Down to the Bone

Visualization of foreign bodies

There are times where there are foreign bodies within the wound tissue. This could be suture or various other structures. Examining the wound with the EPISCAN could help identify these foreign bodies and also help navigate the clinician to the exact location to aid in their removal.

Documentation of effectiveness of wound treatments

It is extremely important to document wound appearance, treatment, and outcome as documentation aides in appropriate continuity of care and positive clinical outcomes. The EPISCAN is an excellent assessment tool for this documentation.

The above image sequence shows the healing of a chronic wound. “Wound Day 1” shows the wound at its worst and by “2 months” the tissue is returning to a condition approaching “Normal”.