by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 14, 2021 | Fight the Good Fight
A 78 year old woman presented with a left medial lower leg ulcer that had been present 12 weeks. She said she awoke one the morning with swelling of her left medial leg and some mild redness. She had no confirmed history of trauma. She was not on anticoagulants and...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 13, 2021 | Nutrition & Wound Healing
I am ashamed of how many years it took for me to get serious about the impact of nutritional deficits in chronic wounds, about consistently performing nutritional screening, and about improving patient nutritional status. There are 3 main barriers: Doctors don’t...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 12, 2021 | Nutrition & Wound Healing
I have previously discussed the fact that my electronic health record (EHR) incorporated the Nestle Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) so that it only takes me a few seconds to do a proper nutritional screen and it can be done while I’m in the room with the patient....
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 9, 2021 | Fight the Good Fight
Lately there have been a lot of articles about clinician burnout. There are good reasons. The past 18 months have been tough for everyone. But a few days ago I saw a lovely patient whose wound had returned in an area of previous high-dose radiation. The reason it...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 1, 2021 | Fight the Good Fight, Lymphatic Imaging & Lymphedema
Last week I had the honor of speaking at the 4th LympheHeroes Houston virtual meeting on the topic of “Lymphedema and Wound Care” – along with my friend and colleague Denise “Missy” Baylor, CLT. I talked about the taxonomy for skin changes in lymphedema which...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 30, 2021 | Nutrition & Wound Healing
Recently we talked about the importance of nutritional assessment in patients with wounds and ulcers. I’ve posted a few of the countless cases I’ve seen in which improved nutrition (usually with some type of oral nutritional supplement) is what made the difference. I...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 24, 2021 | Fight the Good Fight, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) in introducing the HBOT Access Act of 2021, a bill to make Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) an available resource for veterans...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 8, 2021 | Fight the Good Fight, Lymphatic Imaging & Lymphedema
Lympha Press recently created monthly Lipedema & Lymphedema Patient Round Table Discussions featuring real patients’ inspiring testimonials and presentations from industry thought leaders like Dr. Karen Herbst. The webinars are free to patients and...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 7, 2021 | Healthcare Payment Policy
Check out my editorial in Today’s Wound Clinic about the way that things have changed for the outpatient wound center. It happened again today — a patient could not afford a huge copay for a compression bandage, thanks to the fine print of his Medicare Advantage...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 7, 2021 | Fight the Good Fight, Lymphatic Imaging & Lymphedema, Undaunted Spirit Award
Nearly two decades ago, when I was the director of the Memorial Hermann Medical Center Lymphedema center, I met a young patient who was only about 10 years old at the time. Even as a child he was one of those inspiring, optimistic, “over-comers” who made a big...
