Principles of Wound Healing

A wound is a break in the continuity of a bodily tissue, such as the skin or mucous membrane. Wounds can be caused by events that are external to the organism – such as trauma, burns, or surgical incisions; and wounds can also be of endogenous origin – such as a distal ischemic event involving the toes due to embolism or arterial stenosis … Wound attributes, such as its causative mechanism, size, depth and location are useful for characterizing its type. When a wound is being assessed, it is also important to determine the stage of wound healing, extent of tissue repair, presence of any obvious elements preventing complete wound closure, and the patient’s psychological status. Complete restoration of tissue integrity requires multidisciplinary care and patient adherence to the recommended treatment …The patient’s baseline clinical condition greatly influences the wound healing process. Healthy individuals tend to recover quickly, with restoration of skin integrity and scars that have a better appearance as well as fewer complications. Patients with chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes mellitus and hypertension, malnutrition or obesity) tend to present delayed wound healing and have greater risk of complications such as infection, and functional and psychological sequelae … read more