There is no one among us who has not been exposed to scratches, wounds, or cuts in the body’s tissues, externally or more deeply.
The wound may be deep in the muscles, or superficial in the upper layers of the skin.
Most open wounds are not serious and can be treated at home but others need medical care.
Every one of us should know how to care for wounds, given their recurrence and high incidence, especially in children.
Therefore, in this article, we discuss how to care for wounds and when need medical help, to prevent their infection and delayed healing.
Why wound care is very important?
Uncaring of wounds can lead to the following sequences:
1. Infection:
Any break in the skin is a general invitation to become infected with germs, as the skin is a natural barrier against infection.
In order to avoid microbial infection, we must take care of the wounds and disinfect them.
2. Osteomyelitis:
A type of infection, where the microbe is transmitted through the bloodstream to the bone, or when the bone is exposed to germs during an infection.
It is often treated with antibiotics, especially if detected early.
However, if the infection is detected late, amputation becomes the inevitable fate. To prevent the spread of infection to other organs.
3. Gangrene:
It occurs as a result of a lack of blood supply to a specific area of the body, which leads to its death, often affecting the extremities.
Therefore, failure to detect early leads to amputation, and sometimes death.
4. Inflammation of the skin surrounding wounds
If the skin surrounding wounds is neglected, the skin becomes inflamed and swollen, preventing the wound itself from healing.
Therefore, we must pay attention to any inflammation of the surrounding skin and take care of it.
5. The crisis:
It is swelling resulting from fluid retention within the body’s tissues.
This makes it difficult for wounds to heal and may put pressure on small blood vessels. Which reduces the blood supply to parts of the body.
You should consult a doctor if you have diarrhea.
6. Wounds dehiscence:
Some wounds need stitching, but sometimes these sutures gradually come apart; a result
Due to poor stitching.
Extreme pressure on the wounds.
Weakness of the immune system, as in cancerous tumors and diabetes.
If you notice a wound dehiscence, contact your physician immediately.
7. Hematoma:
It is the accumulation of blood, and perhaps its coagulation, outside the blood vessels and into the surrounding tissues, as a result of injury to the blood vessel.
It often causes infection or dehiscence of the wound.
What are types of open wounds?
Open wounds are divided into several types, which it is recommended to know to determine the appropriate care method, which is as follows:
1. An incision straight wound in the skin, often resulting from surgical operations, but it can also be caused by knives, pieces of glass, or other sharp instruments.
Incisions cause severe and profuse bleeding, they affect the muscles, may reach the nerves, and require stitching to stop the bleeding and care for the wound.
Incisions can be controlled during surgery, as the patient undergoes health care from the time of making the incision until dressing, but you must go to the hospital quickly if incisions occur at home, as this is the first means of caring for deep open wounds.
2. A puncture is in the form of a deep longitudinal wound within the soft tissues and outer layers, but what appears is a very small opening.
The punctures are caused by needles and splinters.
A puncture can cause bleeding when it results from a knife or gunshot wound, damaging deep muscles and internal tissues.
3. Laceration occurs when there is a deep opening or tear in the skin, which occurs as a result of accidents, sharp machines, etc.
Lacerations cause severe bleeding, but it can be controlled with some pressure and clean tools.
4. Avulsion is the violent tearing of the skin and deep tissues, and it occurs as a result of explosions, animal attacks, or car accidents.
5. Abrasion is a superficial abrasion of the skin that occurs when the skin is rubbed or slipped on a rough or grainy surface. Examples include abrasions that affect the knee, or opening of the skin where there is a rash.
Abrasions may cause a lot of bleeding, but it is important to cleanse the wound well and remove any plankton that has stuck to the wound.
How to care simple open wounds in home?
It is possible to care for simple open wounds at home by following these steps:
1. Wash the wound to remove any stuck-on dirt or grime.
2. Press the wound area well, and try to raise the injured area as much as possible to control bleeding and swelling.
3. Make sure to wrap the wound with a suitable medical bandage, as some simple open wounds may heal without the need for any bandages.
4. Keep the wound clean and dry for at least 5 days.
5. Get enough rest throughout the recovery period, and take pain relievers prescribed by your doctor if you need them.
6. Avoid aspirin completely, as it may prolong the healing time of the wound.
7. Apply ice packs to the site of swelling or swelling.
8. Avoid picking at any crusts on the wound with your bare hand.
When need a surgeon to manage (therapy for wounds) your wound?
The wounds may need stitches and intensive medical care especially when it is extensive or very bleeding which can’t control.
What steps done by a surgeon to manage or therapy your wound?
1. Anesthetize the wound area locally, then close both parts of the wound after cleaning it using stitches or any other appropriate method.
2. If the wound is a puncture wound, the doctor may give the patient a tetanus shot, to reduce the chances of complications.
3. The doctor may choose not to close the wound, and let it heal naturally until it begins to close on its own from the inside, depending on the type, condition, and severity of the wound.
4. The doctor may prescribe pain relievers, penicillin, and antibiotics (Antibiotics).
5. It is possible that the wound may require complete surgery to contain and control it, as in cases of amputation accidents.
What is treatment (therapy options) wounds?
In the past decade, many new ways to treat wounds.
There are, for example, treatment that uses stem cells (cells that can develop into other types of cells) and platelet-rich plasma (concentrations of platelets from human blood containing growth factors).
Also, Materials from the human placenta, and even decellularized skin (skin from a human cadaver, which has had the cells removed, and which provides a structure to repopulate with healthy cells).
However, this treatment is still of limited use.
“It’s expensive, not covered by insurance most of the time, and we’re still in the testing phase of how well it works” Another treatment is spending a period in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which delivers hyperbaric oxygen to the person inside that room.
What is the way to therapy stubborn wounds?
Treatment and healing of a stubborn wound requires a combination of methods, and a wound care professional can contribute.
This specialist may be a physician, physician assistant, or certified wound nurse.
The first step is to remove the dead cell tissue, a process called debridement.
Wound care also includes special types of dressings, depending on the individual’s needs, to create a moist and healthy environment for the wound and promote the healing process, and in some cases, skin grafting is necessary.
Another treatment method, based on creating a vacuum around the wound, is method known as negative pressure wound therapy, or vacuum-assisted closure (VAC).
What about medications?
Only one drug has received FDA approval for treating wounds, it’s a topical gel called bicaplermin (Regranex), but this drug has a “black box” warning – the agency’s strongest warning level – for its link to cancer and many drugs still developing.
What is the first aid to deal with wounds?
When you or a member of your family has a cut or abrasion that causes bleeding, follow these steps:
1. Stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the wound with a clean bandage or towel, and if possible or necessary, elevate the injured area above heart level to help reduce blood flow to the area.
2. Make sure your hands are clean, then clean the wound of foreign particles, such as dirt.
3. Clean the wound with an antiseptic or an antiseptic cream. An antiseptic cream such as Bepanthen Plus cream effectively disinfects the wound while at the same time reducing the risk of contamination that can arise because of touching the wound.
Apply a sterile adhesive pad, such as an adhesive tape, to the wound.
What will happen at wound Care Center to wound therapy?
For a patient suffering from a chronic or non-healing wound, Any Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine that Center offers a relief approach to wound management.
Examine your wound.
The Wound Care Center offers patients access to state-of-the-art outpatient clinical wound care and hyperbaric medicine.
Also, the center for advanced wound care and hyperbaric medicine is the established care program.
wound care center emphasizes treatment with education while supporting patient needs.
And uses the most advanced technology to heal wounds.
What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
It is used as an adjunctive treatment for non-healing wounds that meet specific criteria of 10 to 20% meet them.
Throughout treatments, the patient’s need for concentration of hyperbaric oxygen has increased in the blood near the wound.
During the treatments, the patient breathes hyperbaric oxygen inside a chamber, quickly increasing the concentration of oxygen in the blood
Which makes healing faster.
Essentially, hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps heal the wound which needs specialists or specialized clinics and good physicians to do.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help reduce swelling and infection.
