Open wound
| Wound | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Wounds on a male torso | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine |
| ICD-10 | T14.0-T14.1 |
| ICD-9-CM | 872-893 |
| MeSH | D014947 |
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). In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.
According to level of contamination, a wound can be classified as:
Open wounds can be classified according to the object that caused the wound:
Closed wounds have fewer categories, but are just as dangerous as open wounds:
An open wound (an avulsion)
A laceration to the leg
An infected puncture wound to the bottom of the forefoot.
A puncture wound from playing darts.
An incision: a small cut in a finger.
Fresh incisional wound on the fingertip of the left ring finger.
To heal a wound, the body undertakes a series of actions collectively known as the wound healing process.
A wound may be recorded for follow-up and observing progress of healing with different techniques which include:
The overall treatment depends on the type, cause, and depth of the wound, and whether other structures beyond the skin (dermis) are involved. Treatment of recent lacerations involves examining, cleaning, and closing the wound. Minor wounds, like bruises, will heal on their own, with skin discoloration usually disappearing in 1–2 weeks. Abrasions, which are wounds with intact skin (non-penetration through dermis to subcutaneous fat), usually require no active treatment except keeping the area clean, initially with soap and water. Puncture wounds may be prone to infection depending on the depth of penetration. The entry of puncture wound is left open to allow for bacteria or debris to be removed from inside.
Evidence to support the cleaning of wounds before closure is scant. For simple lacerations, cleaning can be accomplished using a number of different solutions, including tap water and sterile saline solution. Infection rates may be lower with the use of tap water in regions where water quality is high. Cleaning of a wound is also known as 'wound toilet'.
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Wikipedia