Irena Pukiova | Tessa Gough Associates

Tissue Viability

Wound Management

Pressure Ulcers (NPWT)

Critical Care

Winner of the quality improvement project - Make Proning Easy

Currently employed as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner trainee at Oxford University Hospital.
12 years’ experience as a Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist at Oxford University Hospital.
14 years’ experience as a Senior Staff Nurse at Oxford University Hospital working in Adult Intensive Care.
2 years’ experience as a Flight Nurse for Oxford Air Ambulance Service.
18 years' experience as a registered nurse at Oxford University Hospitals.
Active speaker - Pressure Prevention and Its Challenges in Critically Ill Patients; Poster Presentation, ESICM conference, Athens (2019)

Irena Pukiova is currently an Advanced Nurse Practitioner trainee specialising in Tissue Viability at Oxford University. She joined the OUH tissue viability team in November 2021, but began her tissue viability career in 2013 as a Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist for critical care. Since then, she has worked in a dual role as a Senior Staff Nurse and Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist in the Oxford Adult Intensive Care Unit.

In 2013, Irena developed the tissue viability service for critical care, which received recognition and positive comments from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2014.

In 2021, she also completed a sharp debridement module at the University of Bradford. In 2022, Irena was awarded an MSc in Clinical Skin Integrity and Wound Management.

In 2024, she was granted an Internship at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in Oxford, which is dedicated to advancing scientific and research initiatives. Throughout her Internship with NIHR, Irena concentrated on the implementation of the tissue viability nurse role specifically within critical care and its effects on minimising adverse events.

Irena's specialist interests include complex wound management, especially in critically ill patients, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy, and instillation, particularly in complicated wounds at challenging anatomical locations. She is also passionate about educating healthcare professionals and clinical simulation.

Irena frequently presents and shares her work and practices at national and international conferences, such as the European Wound Management Association (EWMA), British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN), and European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP).

Irena was a finalist of the Oxford University Hospitals staff recognition award 2023, nominated by a patient in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the work of the Trust.

Irena approaches her job with love, passion, dedication, and a commitment to improving herself and others, making her an exceptional member tissue viability community.

Zaher, A., Huang, A., & Pukiova, I. (2023). Fournier’s Gangrene Secondary to Perforated Retrocaecal Appendicitis: A Turbulent and Prolonged ICU Admission. In Lessons from the ICU (pp. 43–52). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36398-6_5
Betteridge, R., Pukiova, I., & Walthall, H. (2022). Effects of Prone Positioning Protocols and Risk of Pressure Injury in Patients With COVID-19. Nursing in Critical Care, 27(S1). https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.12847