Management of Traumatic Wounds Flashcards
How does the healing of superficial wounds differ in dogs and cats?
If SQ tissue is removed in cats, granulation and healing take much longer. In dogs, removal of SQ tissue doesn’t make much difference.
What are 3 things to consider with bite wounds?
- Size and number of animals involved (eg. cat + cat vs. big dog + small dog/cat; one-on-one vs. pack-on-one)
- Location of wound (eg, limbs vs. neck/trunk)
- Clinical assessment of severity of trauma
What suture material would be best for a deep wound?
Absorbable monofilament, with antimicrobial would be best.
What is a degloving injury?
Shearing force which severs cutaneous vessels supplying the skin
What is the difference between a physiologic and anatomic degloving injury?
Physiologic = Skin devitalized, but still in palce Anatomic = Skin avulsed from underlying tissue
What do you commonly see combined with degloving in dogs and cats?
Crush injury
With impalement, what should you tell the owner if they call in?
DO NOT REMOVE
With a gunshot wound, do you need to get all the fragments?
Not really unless it’s close to or in a joint.
What 4 things do we assess in a burn patient?
Cause
Concurrent injury (smoke inhalation in a house fire)
Extent (% TBSA)
Depth
What is a major issue with burn patients?
Hypovolemia
What is really important with burn wound management?
Nutritional support
Whata 4 things make up your initial burn management?
Cool injured tissue
Topical treatment
Analgesics
Fluid resuscitation
What are the 3 general burn wound outcomes?
<15% TBSA - Usually easily managed
15-50% TBSA - May require extensive treatment
>50% - Significant complications and prolonged treatment
What are 2 classifications of traumatic wounds?
Penetrating - Open
Non-penetrating - Closed (eg. sterile abscess)
NOTE: Open traumatic wounds should be considered contaminated at best
What are 2 common topical treatments for burns?
Aloe (anti-inflammatory)
Silver sulfadiazine
NOTE: These two work synergistically
When do you need to really worry about fluid resuscitation in a burn patient?
When burns >15% TBSA
When can you use hydrotherapy for burn patients?
With partial thickness burns
How can you easily tell if a burn is partial or full thickness?
If the fur doesn’t epilate easily, tissue is probably still healthy
What are 6 possible causes for a nonhealing wound?
FB Immunodeficiency Pathogens (hard to culture organisms) Concurrent dx Nutritional status Drugs
What types of FBs, if any, can usually be well tolerated?
Non-porous FBs
What is the most common FB?
Plant-based
What is common to see with a sinus tract?
Will “pseudo” heal, but reappears when Abx are fnished
Define sinus tract.
Communication between mesothelial surface and skin.
Define fistula.
Communication between two epithelial surfaces, lined by epithelium.
What diagnostics can you do to find a FB in a wound?
RADs (most plant materials are NOT radio opaque)
U/S
What can you use to help visualize the wound tract?
Dilute methylene blue
What do you need to be careful of when removing FBs from wound tracts?
The longer the FB has in the body, the more friable it becomes.
What do you do with a wound tract if you don’t have U/S or CT?
Remove all abnormal tissue and look for FB
What is the most common source of contamination for a traumatic wound?
Endogenous flora
What are 3 sources of contamination for a traumatic wound?
Endogenous flora Accident site (usually pretty wimpy bacteria) Hospital (nosocomial, tougher bugs)
What 3 factors influence bacterial development?
Number and type Host defense Exogenous factors (FBs, soil)
What is the “Golden period”?
Time from contamination until bacteria reach 10^6/g of tissue
What is the trouble with infection potentiating factors?
Can reduce the number of bacteria needed for infection to as low as 100 (from 10^6)
What must you do with all wound patients?
Assess the entire patient!
If not ready to deal with wound, what should you do?
Protect it to prevent further contamination.
If comes in bandaged, DO NOT take a peek until you’re ready to deal with it.
What are the 3 steps to initial management of traumatic wounds?
Thorough exam of wound (look for fx, explore penetrating wounds and consider what might be underneath)
Debridement
Wound Lavage
Wat 4 minimum precautions should you take in evaluating the wound?
Temporarily close or pack the wound
Clip and prep surrounding skin (don’t be afraid to go wide)
Cap, mask and gloves
Ideally aseptic technique