Wounds & Lacerations - According to Wikipedia
A wound is a type of injury 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.
Classification
According to level of contamination a wound can be
classified as
§ clean
wound , a wound made under sterile conditions where there are no organisms
present in the wound and the wound is likely to heal without complications.
§ contaminated
wound , where the wound is as a result of accidental injury where there are
pathogenic organisms and foreign bodies in the wound.
§ infected
wound , where the wound has pathogenic organisms present and multiplying
showing clinical signs of infection, where it looks yellow, oozing pus, having
pain and redness.
§ colonized
wound , where the wound is a chronic one and there are a number of organisms
present and very difficult to heal as in a bedsore.
Open
Open wounds can be classified according to the
object that caused the wound. The types of open wound are:
§ Incisions
or incised wounds, caused by a clean, sharp-edged object such as a knife,
razor, or glass splinter.
§ Lacerations,
irregular tear-like wounds caused by some blunt trauma. Lacerations and
incisions may appear linear (regular) or stellate (irregular). The term
laceration is commonly misused in reference to incisions.
§ Abrasions
(grazes), superficial wounds in which the topmost layer of the skin (the
epidermis) is scraped off. Abrasions are often caused by a sliding fall onto a
rough surface.
§ Avulsions,
injuries in which a body structure is forcibly detached from its normal point
of insertion. A type of amputation where the extremity is pulled off rather
than cut off.
§ Puncture
wounds, caused by an object puncturing the skin, such as a splinter, nail or
needle.
§ Penetration
wounds, caused by an object such as a knife entering and coming out from the
skin.
§ Gunshot
wounds, caused by a bullet or similar projectile driving into or through the
body. There may be two wounds, one at the site of entry and one at the site of
exit, generally referred to as a "through-and-through."
Closed
Closed wounds have fewer categories, but are just as
dangerous as open wounds. The types of closed wounds are:
§ Contusions,
more commonly known as bruises, caused by a blunt force trauma that damages
tissue under the skin.
§ Hematomas,
also called a blood tumor, caused by damage to a blood vessel that in turn
causes blood to collect under the skin.
§ Crush
injury, caused by a great or extreme amount of force applied over a long period
of time.
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