In this episode, host Dr. Lee Ruotsi is joined by Stephanie Constable, BSN, RN, CWOCN, a wound care specialist and chair of the Pressure Injury Prevention Committee at United Hospital Center.

Stephanie shares her real-world experience developing and implementing a pressure injury prevention bundle within her facility. She walks through the essential components of an effective bundle, the importance of data-driven decision-making, and how integrating workflows into the EMR can improve consistency of care. The conversation also explores common challenges, the role of clinical decision pathways, and how to evaluate products and technologies for inclusion in your practice.

With practical advice and measurable outcomes, including a significant reduction in hospital-acquired pressure injuries, this episode offers clear, actionable guidance for clinicians looking to strengthen their prevention strategies and improve patient outcomes.

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Prophylactic dressings are becoming an important part of pressure injury prevention strategies in clinical care.

In this episode of The Pressure Effect from Smith+Nephew, host Dr. Lee Ruotsi is joined by Alicia Smith, PT, DPT, NCS, CWS, CLSSGB, Director of Wound Care at Grady Health System, to discuss the clinical impact of these dressings and how they are used in real-world settings.

Alicia shares current evidence supporting prophylactic dressing use and explains how these approaches are implemented across different patient populations. She also covers key considerations such as patient selection, anatomical placement, and how these dressings fit into broader prevention bundles. Alicia also addresses practical concerns such as medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI), wear time, and adhesive performance, offering guidance clinicians can apply in daily practice.

If you’re looking to improve how you prevent pressure injuries in your setting, this episode shares practical insights you can actually use.

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In this episode, Dr. Lee Ruotsi speaks with Dr. Amit Gefen, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University and a leading expert in tissue mechanobiology, about how prophylactic dressings help prevent pressure injuries.

Dr. Gefen explains how pressure, shear, and friction act on soft tissue, and why these forces work together to cause damage beneath the skin. He also describes what happens at the cellular level when tissue is exposed to sustained load, and how injury can develop even when the surface still looks intact.

The discussion covers how dressings help reduce shear, especially over areas like the sacrum and heels. Dr. Gefen outlines how multilayer designs absorb movement and limit the amount of force that reaches the tissue. He also touches on heat, moisture, and how microclimate affects skin condition and friction. The episode highlights why clinicians should look for product-specific evidence when choosing dressings, as performance can vary across different designs.

Listen to learn how dressing design supports better pressure injury prevention in real clinical settings.

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Pressure injuries caused by medical devices are more common than many realize, especially in the ICU. In this episode, Dr. Lee Ruotsi is joined by Dr. Kelly McFee, DNP, a seasoned wound care expert and past Chair of the Board of Directors at the American College of Clinical Wound Specialists, to talk about what causes these injuries, where they show up, and how to prevent them.

Dr. McFee shares what she learned while working with critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the use of respiratory devices like BiPAP and CPAP led to a spike in facial injuries. She explains how her team responded by creating a simple, grab-and-go dressing bundle that helped drive compliance and made prevention easier for staff. They also get into early detection tools like SEM scanners and the importance of recognizing psychological impacts, especially when injuries are visible on the face.

For anyone involved in caring for high-risk patients, this conversation is full of practical strategies that can make a real difference.

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Preventing pressure injuries in children isn’t just about scaling down adult care plans. In this episode, Dr. Lee Ruotsi is joined by Meredith Sharp, a certified wound ostomy nurse with years of experience in pediatric trauma and outpatient family medicine. They dig into why pediatric patients face unique challenges in pressure injury prevention and what caregivers can do differently.

Meredith talks about how pressure injuries in kids are most often device-related, why standard devices aren’t always pediatric-friendly, and what clinicians should know about microclimate control, gestational age, and skin anatomy. They also discuss the importance of family education and the role of parent involvement in safe repositioning.

This conversation offers real, practical strategies to help protect vulnerable pediatric patients, whether you’re working in a NICU, PICU, or outpatient setting.

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Pressure injury prevention in rural and underserved populations presents distinct challenges, including limited access to care, provider shortages, and gaps in insurance coverage.

In this episode, Dr. Lee Ruotsi speaks with Dr. Bernadette Walters, Doctor of Nursing Practice and certified wound, ostomy, and continence nurse, about the unique barriers facing patients in rural settings. Drawing from her clinical experience in Northern New Mexico, Dr. Walters shares insights on resource limitations, the role of family caregivers, and the importance of patient education in prevention efforts.

They also discuss strategies that can be implemented in low-resource environments, from repositioning techniques to nutritional guidance, as well as the broader systemic issues affecting care delivery in these communities.

This episode offers practical perspectives for clinicians, administrators, and care teams working to improve outcomes in vulnerable populations.

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Pressure injuries are a major concern across all care settings but in long-term care (LTC) facilities, prevention can get especially complicated. Limited staff, evolving patient acuity, and regulatory hurdles all play a role.

In this episode, Dr. Lee Ruotsi is joined by Cathy Milne, an advanced practice wound, ostomy, and continence nurse with over 35 years of experience across acute care, LTC, home health, and outpatient settings. Cathy shares what’s really happening in long-term care facilities, from staffing shortages and training gaps to documentation burdens and the day-to-day challenges of prevention.

They explore how LTC teams are often ahead of the curve in pressure injury prevention, how foam dressings and better assessment practices can improve outcomes, and why CNA education, patient autonomy, and family involvement are all key to success. Whether you're in long-term care or supporting transitions of care, this conversation offers practical insight into protecting a vulnerable population.

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This episode is part of Season 5 of The Pressure Effect, focused on pressure injury closure using cellular tissue-based products. Host Dr. Lee Ruotsi is joined by Dr. Allen Raphael, a podiatry specialist based in Smyrna, Georgia with more than 20 years of experience in wound care and limb salvage.

They walk through a compelling heel pressure injury case involving an elderly patient with multiple comorbidities,including diabetes, end-stage renal disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Dr. Raphael explains how early surgical intervention, the use of cryopreserved umbilical cord tissue, and coordinated care helped avoid amputation and lead to full wound closure.

The conversation covers surgical strategy, wound bed preparation, CTP integration, offloading techniques, and the critical role of patient and family education in long-term outcomes. A must-listen for clinicians working with medically complex or immobile patients.

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