Wound management in animals

Wound
A wound is a type of injury which happens relatively
quickly in which skin is torn, cut, or punctured
(an open wound), or where blunt force trauma causes
a contusion (a closed wound).
Types of wound
According to level of contamination, a wound can be classified as:
• Clean wound
• Contaminated wound
• Infected wound
• Colonized wound
Open wounds can be classified according to the object that caused the
wound:

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 Closed wounds have fewer categories, but are just as dangerous as open
wounds:

• Hematomas (or blood tumor)

Caused by damage to a blood vessel that in turn causes blood to
collect under the skin.
• Crush Injury
Caused by a great or extreme amount of force applied over a long
period of time.
 Wound management
Open wound management
• Temporarily cover the wound to prevent further trauma and
contamination.
• Assess the traumatized animal and stabilize its condition.
• Clip and aseptically prepare the area around the wound.
• Culture the wound. Débride dead tissue and remove foreign
debris from the wound.
• Promote healing by stabilizing and protecting the cleaned
wound.
• Perform appropriate wound closure.
 Wound management
Closed wound
• Amount of time that has elapsed since injury.
• Degree of contamination.
• Amount of tissue damage.
• Completeness of debridement
• Status of the wound’s blood supply
• The animal’s health
• Extent of tension or dead space.