How to treat chronic wounds

A chronic wound that is not properly treated can cause serious damage to the patient and must be addressed by health professionals. Take a look at these tips to help with recovery.

A wound is an injury that causes a break in the skin. There may also be damage to surrounding tissues. Chronic wounds are wounds that do not heal completely within 6 weeks. Examples of wounds that can become chronic wounds are deep ulcers (open sores), large burns, and infected cuts.

Conditions that slow or stop the healing process could lead to a chronic wound. These conditions may include insufficient flow of blood or oxygen, an infection, a weak immune system, and tissue inflammation.

Chronic wounds can be recognized by several symptoms. These include milky, yellow, green, or brownish pus in the wound, bleeding, swelling or pain in the affected area, difficulty moving the affected area, if the wound has gotten bigger or deeper. Perhaps the skin around the wound is dark or black and warm to the touch. And if the patient suffers from fever or chills.

In order to diagnose a chronic wound, the health professional will ask about your injury. He or she will ask about your health, the medications you take, and if you have had previous surgeries. He or she will check the wound and around the wound area. He will check to see how deep the wound is and look for signs of infection. You may need blood tests, a wound culture or an X-ray.

Chronic wounds can be treated with analgesics and antibiotics, as well as with proper physical care of the injury itself, done by qualified nurses and therapists. Cleaning is done by washing the wound with sterile water. Health professionals may use a long syringe with a needle or catheter tip (tube). They may also use a germ-killing liquid.

Debridement is done to remove anything from the wound that could slow healing and lead to infection. This includes dead tissue, and objects such as small rocks and dirt. Your doctor may cut away the damaged areas in or around your wound. He may also drain the wound to clean out the pus.

Wound dressings are used to protect the wound from further injury and infection. They also keep moisture in the wound area to promote and speed healing. You can also wrap the wound with an elastic bandage to apply some pressure to the wound. The pressure helps to decrease swelling in the tissues around the wound area. Dressings may come in the form of bandages, gauze, solutions, gels, or foams.

On the other hand, you should avoid certain actions when dealing with chronic wounds. In pressure injuries, do not use closed round cushions (threads, floats) as a seating surface. Do not massage the skin over bony prominences. Do not apply any product containing alcohol such as colognes, rosemary spirits, tannins, etc. on the skin. In humid lesions, do not try to remove the remains of creams or ointments with zinc oxide with water.

Do not use crepe bandages as a therapeutic compression system in patients with ulcers of venous etiology. Do not apply very cold or icy water after a burn.