Anyone heard of Tissue Viability Nurses...what do they do ?

[Babieseverywhere]

Short story...poor DD1 trapped her finger in school gate a few weeks ago. It isn't healing well. Couple of A&E visits, doctor visits and various nurse visits later. Her finger still hurts, still a funny shape and they are concerned that it is black on top.

We have another nurse coming on Thursday with a Tissue Viability Nurse.

What is a Tissue Viability Nurse ? I am so worried that her finger not healed several weeks on ? She gets so upset when they poke at her, can't we leave it be for a while, won't it heal on it's own give enough time ?

They will often have a look to see if they think a certain dressing might help healing. I think you can get special dressings such as the ones with silver in them so maybe she will come and have a look to see if that may help.

Hope it gets sorted. Ask the nurse when you see her if it can be left to heal on its own. Maybe it can but maybe there is a possibility that if its left it will always be black???????? I'm not saying this can happen, I don't know - but you need to ask.

AFAIK tissue viability nurses to work with people with wounds that won't heal, ulcers and stuff like that. Sorry, don't have any more insight than that but hope the nurse is able to help poor dd.

Thanks guys, I know we are lucky to have access to this kind of specialist health care, but she is so little at 4 years old and so scared of people touching her hurt finger. She cries for her daddy to save her but really she is being pretty brave considering they are poking at her wound with stuff :(

yup she'll be a specialist nurse dealing with wounds
she'll beable to guide the nurses to the best type of dressings and management of the wound
I think the black may have to come off before any healing can take place , unless it's a bruise.
there is types of gel or dressings that will encourage the sloughy bad stuff to come off and the wound to heal

Babies, I don't know whether I'm talking crap, but is it worth asking whether giving her some calpol first might help to reduce the pain a little? It's still going to hurt when someone has to touch an injury, but maybe calpol would make it tiny bit more bearable.

My sister is a TVN and a mumsnetter - have just texted her... she'll be along in a minute I'm sure

She specialises in wound care - particularly ones that won't heal, and uses loads of fancy dressings/techniques to help. She does amazing things - I'm sure the TVN you will see will sort your DD out too.

aww poor wee thing
hope it gets better soon
does she have pain killers before they poke around?

TV nurses are specialist nurses in wound care. Usually district nurses are great at dressing choices and wound care but if they need advice on healing difficulties etc. they will refer to tissue viability nurses. When I worked in hospital we used the service more as we weren't the experts in wound care. Often access to certain dressings, treatments etc. can be authorised by TV nurses only.

Be reassured that referral to them is positive. Hope your daughter's finger gets better soon.

I am a tissue viability nurse! Edam pretty much sums it up. We deal with amongst a lot of other things, wounds that won't heal

Oh and franticallyjugglinglife's dsis!

They want the black bit off, which I don't understand isn't that the scab bit ? I guess I just feel conflicted as I don't want them to make her hurt but I do want the wound to heal.

Sometimes she gets painkillers and sometimes not. I insisted they gave her something before they used acid on the grandulation over growth bit and when she first did it. But most of the visits we don't know if it is a poking session or just a dressing change until they get here.... I wish I could do this for her.

pinksancerre, What will the TV nurse do ? Will she try and take this black bit off. Shall I give DD some painkiller first just in case ?

We don't really like scabs/black bits as they can hide unknown damage and harbour bacteria. Black bit can mean dead tissue from the injury. So we would put a dressing on to lift it off if it was felt the damage was reasonably superficial. Having said that if I felt it was deep damage I would refer to plastics or orthopaedics

I would give her a painkiller to take the edge off. I would be very surprised if she tried to physically remove it. She more likely to assess the damage and recommend a dressing

Thanks for that, the nurse said that it might be referred elsewhere...poor baby girl. Well, lets hope the black bit falls off on it's own before Thursday.

The nurse today tried to pull it off, after I had soaked it in cooled boiled water for ages and DD cried and it didn't budge. :(

Hope it all goes well for you.

that's awful, there are dressings to do it that are much kinder

Thanks, I hope it heals well too.