WOUND &

WOUND
HEALING
Dr. Gopikrishnan S.
WOUND
• Wound is a discontinuity or break in the surface epithelium.
• Simple wound – only skin is involved
• Complex - when it involves underlying nerves, vessels and tendons.
TYPES OF WOUND
 RANK – WAKEFIELD CLASSIFICATION
Tidy wounds Untidy wounds
• Incised, clean, healthy • Crushed or avulsed,
tissue and seldom contaminated, devitalised
associated with tissue loss tissues and often with
tissue loss.
 CLOSED WOUNDS
Contusion
Minor soft tissue injury
without break in the skin,
or major such as when
being run over by a vehicle.
Generally, it produces
discolouration of the skin
due to collection of blood
underneath.
Abrasion
Epidermis of the skin is
scraped away exposing the
dermis. They are painful as
dermal nerve endings are
exposed. These wounds
need cleaning and proper
dressings.
Haematoma
Collection of blood usually
following injury. It can occur
spontaneously in patients who
have bleeding tendencies such as
haemophilia. Depending upon
the site, it can be subcutaneous,
intramuscular or even
subperiosteal.
 OPEN WOUNDS
INCISED WOUNDS
• Caused by sharp objects such as
knife, blade, glass, etc.
• This type of wound has a sharp
edge and is less contaminated.
• Primary suturing is ideal for such
wounds, as it gives a neat and clean
scar.
LACERATED WOUNDS
• Caused by blunt injury such as fall on a stone or
due to road traffic accidents (RTA). Edges are
jagged.
• The injury may involve only skin and
subcutaneous tissue or sometimes deeper
structures also.
• Due to the blunt nature of the object, there is
crushing of the tissue which may result in
haematoma, bruising or even necrosis of the
tissue.
• These wounds are treated by wound excision
and primary suturing provided they are treated
within six hours of injury.
Incised wound
Lacerated wound
 OPEN WOUND
PE NE T R ATIN G W O UN D S
• Stab injuries of abdomen are
common. It may look like an
innocent injury with a small, 1 or 2
cm long cut but internal organs such
as intestines, liver, spleen or
mesenteric blood vessels may have
been damaged.
• All penetrating wounds of the
abdomen should be admitted and
observed for at least 24 hours
C R U SH E D O R C O NTU SE D
W O U ND S
• They are caused by blunt trauma due to
run over by vehicle, wall collapse,
earthquakes or industrial accidents.
• These wounds are dangerous as they
may cause severe haemorrhage, death of
the tissues and crushing of blood vessels.
• These patients are more prone for gas
gangrene, tetanus, etc.
• Adequate treatment involves good
debridement and removal of all dead and
necrotic tissues.
Penetrating wound Crushed wound
 Acute Wound And Chronic Wound

• Acute wound: Stab wounds, following RTA

and blast injuries.
• Chronic wound: Leg ulcers, pressure sores
MANAGEMENT OF OPEN
WOUND
 WOUND

Cleaning & bandage Active bleeding

Splint, if there is
Stop the bleeding
fracture

Suturing Transport IV line, resuscitation

HEALING OF THE
WOUND
Healing by primary intention occurs in a clean incised
wound such as a surgical incision wherein there is only
a potential space between the edges. It produces a
clean, neat, thin scar.
Healing by secondary intention refers to a wound
which is infected, discharging pus or wound with skin
loss. Such wounds heal with an ugly scar.
Factors influencing healing of a wound
• Site of the wound
• Structures involved
• Mechanism of wounding Incision, Crush or Avulsion
• Contamination (foreign bodies/bacteria)
• Loss of tissue
• Other local factors- Vascular insufficiency (arterial or venous) Hypoxia
• Systemic factors - Malnutrition or vitamin and mineral deficiencies Disease (e.g.
diabetes mellitus) Medications (e.g. steroids) Immune deficiencies (e.g.
chemotherapy, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]) Smoking
 NORMAL WOUND HEALING

I. the inflammatory phase

II. the proliferative phase
III.the remodelling phase (maturing phase).
Thank you.!