Wound Healing
It’s all about a Break and the Power of Healing
What is a Wound?
A wound may be described in many ways; by its aetiology, anatomical location, by whether it is acute or chronic1, by the method of closure, by its presenting symptoms or indeed by the appearance of the predominant tissue types in the wound bed. All definitions serve a critical purpose in the assessment and appropriate management of the wound through to symptom resolution or, if viable, healing.
A wound by true definition is a breakdown in the protective function of the skin; the loss of continuity of epithelium, with or without loss of underlying connective tissue (i.e. muscle, bone, nerves) following injury to the skin or underlying tissues/ organs caused by surgery, a blow, a cut, chemicals, heat/ cold, friction/ shear force, pressure or as a result of disease, such as leg ulcers or carcinomas.
Wounds heal by primary intention or secondary intention depending upon whether the wound may be closed with sutures or left to repair, whereby damaged tissue is restored by the formation of connective tissue and re-growth of epithelium.
Wound Classification
Wounds may be classified by several methods; their aetiology, location, type of injury or presenting symptoms, wound depth and tissue loss or clinical appearance of the wound. Separate grading tools exist for Pressure Ulcers (EPUAP), Burns (Rule of Nines), Diabetic Foot Ulcers (Wagner / San Antonio) and General Wounds.
General wounds are classified as being:
Superficial (loss of epidermis only)
Partial thickness (involve the epidermis and dermis)
Full thickness (involves the dermis, subcutaneous fat and sometimes bone)
The most common method for classification of a wound is identification of the predominant tissue types present at the wound bed; i.e. black – necrotic and the respective amount of each expressed as a percentage. This classification method is very visual, supports good assessment and planning and assists with continuous
What is a Wound?
A wound may be described in many ways; by its aetiology, anatomical location, by whether it is acute or chronic1, by the method of closure, by its presenting symptoms or indeed by the appearance of the predominant tissue types in the wound bed. All definitions serve a critical purpose in the assessment and appropriate management of the wound through to symptom resolution or, if viable, healing.
A wound by true definition is a breakdown in the protective function of the skin; the loss of continuity of epithelium, with or without loss of underlying connective tissue (i.e. muscle, bone, nerves) following injury to the skin or underlying tissues/ organs caused by surgery, a blow, a cut, chemicals, heat/ cold, friction/ shear force, pressure or as a result of disease, such as leg ulcers or carcinomas.
Wounds heal by primary intention or secondary intention depending upon whether the wound may be closed with sutures or left to repair, whereby damaged tissue is restored by the formation of connective tissue and re-growth of epithelium.
Wound Classification
Wounds may be classified by several methods; their aetiology, location, type of injury or presenting symptoms, wound depth and tissue loss or clinical appearance of the wound. Separate grading tools exist for Pressure Ulcers (EPUAP), Burns (Rule of Nines), Diabetic Foot Ulcers (Wagner / San Antonio) and General Wounds.
General wounds are classified as being:
Superficial (loss of epidermis only)
Partial thickness (involve the epidermis and dermis)
Full thickness (involves the dermis, subcutaneous fat and sometimes bone)
The most common method for classification of a wound is identification of the predominant tissue types present at the wound bed; i.e. black – necrotic and the respective amount of each expressed as a percentage. This classification method is very visual, supports good assessment and planning and assists with continuous