Beneath the Surface

In this episode, guest Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD, discusses clinical approaches to diagnosing chronic wounds, advancements and methods for treating them. ·       Intro 0:28 ·       Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD 0:35 ·       From a public health perspective, how big of a problem are chronic wounds?  0:59 ·       What is your clinical approach to define and evaluate chronic wounds? 2:06 ·       What imaging do you order for patients with lower extremity wounds? 4:58 ·       What advancements are we seeing in wound healing? 6:46 ·       What are some of the differential diagnoses that can generate chronic wounds in patients? 8:25 ·       Can you describe your technique for biopsy? 9:37 ·       Are there situations where you should avoid biopsy? 10:27 ·       Does a diagnosis of exclusion such as pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) need to be biopsied? 11:30 ·       Are retinoids like acitretin commonly used? 11:39 ·       What is your approach to patients with PG? 12:30 ·       Are there other immune targets that you're excited about for PG? 14:28 ·       Thanks for listening. 15:29 Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD, is chairman and professor in the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, director of the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics Wound Center and a past vice president of the American Academy of Dermatology. We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Gelfand at [email protected]. Follow Dr. Gelfand on LinkedIn. Dr. Kirsner can be reached at [email protected]. For more, be sure to visit the Beneath the Surface video blog on Healio.com. Disclosures: Gelfand is Chief Medical Editor of Healio Dermatology. Kirsner reports receiving advisory board or consultant fees from AbbVie, BPGbio, Kerecis, Leo Pharma, Organogenesis, Smith & Nephew and Urgo and grant or research support from Boehringer Ingelheim and MediWound. References: ·        Pyoderma gangrenosum. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17825-pyoderma-gangrenosum-pg. Updated May 13, 2022. Accessed Feb. 25, 2026.