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Some Principles Regarding Wound Debridement

By Michael White


Wounds are created when there is a break in the integrity of the skin. Wounds can be categorized as either clean, contaminated, clean and contaminated and finally, dirty wounds. Clean wounds are those created by surgeons as they make incisions. Clean contaminated wounds come about when either the gastrointestinal, respiratory or genitourinary tract is breached but without a sign of active infection. If signs of infection are present, the wound is said to be contaminated. Wound debridement is indicated for dirty, chronic wounds.

In the event that a person is shot for one reason or another, the bullet stuck in the body is considered a foreign body. If it is not removed in time, an infection can quickly set in and complicate the situation. Pieces of wood or metal can also get lodged in tissues accidentally. Other than foreign bodies, dirty tissues can be the result of complications of medical procedures. This means that healthcare providers may be the cause of a clean wound getting complicated.

Tissues that require debridement usually are dead, smelly and extensive. This commonly happens when decomposition has been going on for too long without the necessary intervention. Early intervention and active surveillance should start with the affected persons. They need to undertake first aid measures at home and then check in to a hospital for further management on time. The role of the doctor is to prescribe antibiotics and monitor healing.

In the event that bacteria gain access to tissues, the human body responds by recruiting white blood cells to the site of injury in order to destroy the bacteria and stop further spread. The main players in this field are the white blood cells. When this fails due to one reason or the other, the bacteria trapped at the site of injury causes decomposition of normal tissues and production of pus by the very same cells intended to fight the bacteria.

Debridement can be done manually or by use of a chemical. During the manual procedure, the surgeon scraps off dead tissues using special surgical instruments. The patient is put under general or local anaesthesia depending on how much tissue has decayed. In the chemical form of debridement, special chemicals are used to break down the unwanted tissues and lift them off.

In isolated situations, larvae from maggots can be utilized. The area to be debrided is marked and larvae deposited there. The main goal is to ensure that all bacteria are consumed by the maggots thus preventing systemic spread.

Once the decomposed tissues have been removed, the area is dressed and given time to heal. In the event that the area is too large to allow for natural re-growth of new tissues, grafting may be required. Grafting uses portions of human tissue from elsewhere to replace those lost around the decayed area. The graft will usually take up the blood supply of the destination area and integrate with the new found environment.

It is important that sterile measures are observed when to prevent further spread of infection to the rest of the body. Patients with a low immunity level are disadvantaged because their wounds tend to take longer to heal. Such include persons with diabetes and cancer.




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