Principles of wound management - small animal Flashcards
What are the classifications of wounds?
Abrasion
Avulsion
Incision
Laceration
Puncture
What wound is this?
Abrasion
Loss of epidermis and some dermis
Blunt trauma/shearing
What wound is this?
Avulsion
Tearing of tissues from attachments
e.g., degloving
What wound is this?
Incision
Created by sharp object
e.g., surgical wound
What wound is this?
Laceration
Tearing of wound creating irregular defect
What wound is this?
Puncture
Penetrating wound (deep damage may be substantial, superficial damage may be minimal)
Describe the vascular supply to the skin
Epidermis
Dermis
Hypodermis
Subdermal plexus
Describe the subdermal plexus
Terminal branches of direct cutaneous arteries
Within the panniculus and subcutis
Need to be protected during surgery (know where they are)
Label the vascular supply to the skin
What should you assess was evaluating the type of wound
Degree of tissue damage
Depth of wound
Vital structures (bones, joints, nerves, tendons)
‘Tip of the iceberg’ (e.g. bite wounds)
What should you look for when assessing the level of contamination of a wound
Foreign material
Devitalised tissue
Bacterial innoculum (bite vs. clean glass)
Takes into account the age and nature of the wound
What is the ‘golden period’ of wound bacterial contamination
6 hours
6-12hr: bacteria divide
>12hr: bacterial invasion
What factors influence the bacterial contamination of a wound
vascular supply (reduced ability to fight infection)
devitalised tissue (increased bacterial growth)
FB (reduced ability to fight infection)
type of contamination
soil better than organic debris, clean glass cut vs bite wound
type of bacteria
What are the fundamental goals of wound management?
promote healing
convert contaminated to ‘clean’
control infection
