What is a wound?
A break or discontinuity in skin, mucous membrane, or tissue caused by injury.
What does wound healing restore after injury?
Tissue continuity, structure, and function.
What are the main causes of wounds?
Blunt injury, penetrating injury, surgical insult, and burn injury.
What characterizes tidy wounds compared to untidy wounds?
Tidy wounds are sharp, clean-cut, single, with little or no devitalized tissue.
What causes untidy wounds and what tissue do they contain?
Untidy wounds are caused by crushing, tearing, avulsion, vascular injury, or burns and contain irregular or devitalized tissue.
How do acute wounds differ from chronic wounds in healing time?
Acute wounds heal within the expected time, while chronic wounds fail to heal in that time and may recur.
What duration defines a chronic wound according to the slide?
Chronic wounds last more than 4 weeks to 3 months.
What distinguishes open wounds from closed wounds?
Open wounds breach the skin and may expose tissue; closed wounds leave skin intact despite deeper injury.
What are the four surgical contamination classes?
Clean, clean-contaminated, contaminated, and dirty or infected.
What layers do superficial, partial-thickness, and full-thickness wounds involve?
Superficial wounds involve epidermis only; partial-thickness involve epidermis and part of dermis; full-thickness involve entire epidermis and dermis and may extend deeper.
What are the three overlapping phases of wound healing?
Inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation and remodelling phases.
What limits bleeding during the inflammatory phase of wound healing?
Hemostasis limits bleeding.
Which cells remove bacteria and debris during the inflammatory phase?
Neutrophils remove bacteria and debris.
Which cells become predominant later in the inflammatory phase and release cytokines?
Macrophages become predominant and release cytokines and growth factors.
How long does the inflammatory phase of wound healing last?
Approximately day 0 to day 2–5.
How long does vasoconstriction last before vasodilation peaks in the inflammatory phase?
Vasoconstriction lasts about 5–10 minutes before vasodilation peaks around 20 minutes.
What processes replace lost tissue during the proliferative phase?
Angiogenesis, fibroplasia and granulation tissue formation, epithelialization, and wound contraction.
How long may maturation and remodelling last as collagen reorganizes?
A year or longer.
How does primary intention close a clean wound?
By approximating edges with sutures, staples, or adhesive.
What results from primary intention in terms of tissue loss and scarring?
It produces less tissue loss and a smaller scar.
Why is a wound left open in secondary intention?
Because of infection, extensive trauma, tissue loss, or inability to approximate edges.
How does healing occur in secondary intention?
Through granulation, epithelialization, and contraction.
What is the initial treatment approach in tertiary intention?
The wound is left open for cleaning and observation.
When is a wound closed in tertiary intention?
After 3–5 days when bacterial burden has decreased.
Which local factor impairs wound healing by causing infection?
Infection impairs wound healing locally.
How does poor surgical technique affect wound healing locally?
Poor surgical technique impairs local wound healing.
Name a systemic factor that impairs wound healing related to nutrition.
Inadequate nutrition impairs systemic wound healing.
Which systemic disease impairs wound healing by affecting blood sugar?
Diabetes mellitus impairs systemic wound healing.
How does smoking affect wound healing systemically?
Smoking impairs systemic wound healing.
What is dehiscence in wound healing?
Separation or breakdown of a previously closed wound.
What does evisceration involve in abdominal wounds?
Protrusion of abdominal contents through a disrupted abdominal wound.
What urgency does evisceration require?
Urgent surgical care.
How does a hypertrophic scar differ from a keloid?
It remains within the original wound boundaries.
How does a keloid differ from a hypertrophic scar?
It extends beyond the original wound margins.
Name some other complications of wound healing.
Hemorrhage, adhesions, infection, fistula, sinus, suture complications, herniation, and malignant change.
What is the first step in wound management?
Assessing and stabilizing the patient.
Which factors influence wound management decisions?
Wound type, site, depth, contamination, tissue viability, associated injuries, and patient condition.
What does wound assessment include regarding injury characteristics?
Mechanism, time, site, depth, contamination, tissue loss, foreign bodies, tissue viability.
What neurovascular and functional aspects are assessed in wound evaluation?
Distal circulation, sensation, movement, and associated neurovascular, tendon, or bone injury.
When is reconstruction with skin grafting or flap coverage required?
When tissue loss is present or important structures are exposed.
What should a 15-mark wound answer include about healing phases?
The phases of wound healing.
Which factors must be covered in a 15-mark wound answer?
Factors affecting wound healing.
What diagrams are recommended for wound examination presentation?
A three-phase healing timeline, primary vs secondary intention comparison, and a wound-management flowchart.
Test your knowledge with 23 questions on General Surgery Wounds.
1. Which statement best defines a wound?
2. What is the primary goal of wound healing after an injury?
Review the complete course in the study sheet for General Surgery Wounds.
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