Wound management Flashcards
Classify the difference between an open and closed traumatic wound.
Open wounds have penetrated body tissue. Closed are non-penetrating
What are the four types of operative wounds? Describe them.
Clean (surgically created)
Clean-contaminated (surgically created with opened viscera)
Contaminated (wound with opened/hollow viscus=traumatic)
Dirty (pus contained, perforated hollow viscera)
How much time is needed to pass before the risk of infection in a surgical wound is doubled?
70-90 minutes. (every hour)
What is the most common source of operative infections?
Patient’s endogenous flora. (skin, GI tract)
T/F: a patient with a surgical implant may show infection at that site even after 1 year post-op.
True
Define prophylactic antibiotic use
Administration of the drug prior to wound contamination
Define therapeutic antibiotic use
Administration of the drug as mean to fight an already present infection
What are two good prophylactic drugs to give pre-operatively? (IV)
Cefazolin and Cefoxitin (more for GI/colon obstruction)
When would you use intraoperative antibiotics?
When there is an unexpected contamination of the surgery site or the surgery is taking longer than expected.
Which animal’s integument heals faster, dogs or cats?
Dogs.
What is a good diagnostic test to consider doing before surgically approaching a wounded animal?
X-rays, ultrasound. Diagnostic imaging.
Is a Penrose drain active or passive?
Passive.
What is a good suture material to use on wounds that will require long lasting tensile strength and hold?
PDS. (can last months)
What other injuries may be combined with degloving injuries?
Crushed/broken bones. (heal skin before orthopedic intervention)
Physiologic vs Anatomic degloving. Which one still has the skin in tact?
Physiologic.
What is the status of the tissue if it has become black or white?
Dead, necrotic tissue.
Define neuropraxia.
Damage to the organ to the point where nerve synapses are temporarily interfered and lack impulse.
What are the two types of burns that define the level of severity in a burned patient?
Partial thickness and full thickness burns. These describe the depth of the burn.
What is another organ system to think about when a dog’s integument system has been burned from a fire?
Respiratory system. (smoke inhalation)
List some ways to manage initial burn patients (four listed)
Cool the injured issue, topical treatment, analgesics, fluids
What are the effects of topical treatment for burn patients? (aloe vera, silver sulfadiazine)
To delay the development of infection under the dead tissue (eschar)
What are some ways to treat burn wounds?
Wound debridement, hydrotherapy, negative pressure wound therapy, wound closure, wound lavage
What part/s of the body have enough skin to close a large open wound?
Above the elbow/knee, back/torso/body
T/F: Burns
True
List some possible reasons as to why an animal’s wounds may not heal, despite appropriate treatment.
Presence of a foreign body, immunodeficiency, pathogens/disease, concurrent disease, nutritional status, drugs
T/F: Carbon material objects like gravel, pellets, glass, and steel typically cause dramatic infection.
False. (organic, porous materials are poorly tolerated and must be removed)
Case: an animal comes with a swollen lesion and is given antibiotics and other meds. Throughout the treatment, the lesion had slowly diminished, but once the patient finished the medications, the lesion swelled back up. What is a potential cause of the lesion?
Foreign body.
What is the difference between a sinus and a fistula?
A fistula is lined by epithelium. Sinuses have communication between the mesothelial layer and the skin. Sinuses typically from foreign bodies.
What is the best intraoperative diagnostic imaging tool?
Ultrasound.
What is an example of a dye a surgeon can use to follow a foreign object’s tract/location?
Methylene blue.
Name 3 sources in which a wound can be contaminated.
Endogenous flora (most common), accident site, hospital
When discussing timing of an injury, define the ‘golden period’.
The amount of time from the incidence of injury to when the bacteria have replicated enough in the injury site to cause disease. (usually 6-8 hours)
What are infection potentiating factors (IPFs) and why are they important?
Negatively charged particles that have a large surface area. They bind to positively charged antibiotics, and inhibit phagocytosis and killing of bacteria. Lowers the threshold number of bacteria needed o cause disease (Ex: clay, organic soil)
List a few precautionary methods used when evaluating a wound.
Aseptic as possible, clip/prep surrounding skin and hairs, temporarily closing or packing the wound (use of sterile gauze or jelly)
T/F: Up to 90% of bacteria can be removed by using a lavage on a wound.
True.
What are typical solutions used for lavage?
Saline or balanced electrolyte solutions. Tap water also works.
What is an adequate level of fluid pressure from a syringe for an effective lavage?
7-8 psi.
T/F: It is advised to use antiseptic solutions as lavage once granulation tissue has formed.
False.
List a few antiseptic solutions.
Povidine-Iodine, Chlorhexidine, diluted bleach
T/F: antiseptic solutions are ALL cytotoxic.
True.
Which has a longer residual activity, providone-iodine or chlorhexidine?
Chlorhexidine (12 hours) vs Providone-iodine (4-6 hours)
What are some disadvantage of providone-iodine?
Shorter residual time, formation of inactive complexes with organic matter, potential toxicity.
What are the advantages of chlorhexidine?
Less activity with organic matter, long residual times, and limited side-effects
How long can you keep chlorhexidine diluted in a polyionic solution on the shelf before its precipitates limit its antibacterial activity?
Two weeks.
Define debridement.
Removal of devitalized tissue and foreign bodies.
List the five methods of debridement.
Surgical, autolytic, chemical, mechanical, biosurgical (maggots)
What are the two methods of surgical debridement and which is the more common form?
Layered (more common) and en bloc.
Describe an ‘en bloc’ debridement.
Packing of a wound (with gauze) and dissection of created mass, creating a clean wound.
Describe a layered debridement.
Removal of tissue layer-by-layer starting from the skin to the subcutaneous and then to the muscle.
What is the compound used for chemical debridement and what does it contain?
Granulex. It contains tripsin (debriding agent), castor oil (decreases desiccation), and balsam of Peru (capillary formation)
Which of the the debridement methods is commonly used but is not the most friendly to the tissue integrity?
Mechanical debridement.
What indications would lead to the use of mechanical debridement?
Wounds in lag phase with heavy contamination or thick viscous exudate.
When would you want to leave the wound open? (several reasons)
Can’t fully clean area, foreign body, concerning level of infection, exudate levels, edema/swelling
When is the best time to use negative pressure wound therapy?
When the wounds are in late lag phase or early proliferative phase in healing
What are some benefits to Vacuum-Assisted Closure?
increased tissue blood flow, decreased edema, less bacterial burden, accelerated granulation tissue formation, less frequent bandage changing
Define cortical fenestration.
When holes are placed in the bone of skin injuries (especially distal limbs) to provide more blood flow and healing to that site.
What is one of the biggest key cells that have a role in healing?
Macrophages. They decontaminate the injury site and also send signals to surrounding tissue to direct healing.
What are some substances you would want to use when dealing with a wound containing moderate/high levels of exudate?
Calcium alginate, honey (unpasteurized), sugar
What beneficial effects does honey have on wounds?
Cleans it, promotes granulation tissue formation, antibacterial/antifungal
What would you use to help with a gunshot wound? (it’s a powder)
Maltodextrin.
Name the indications for using a wet-to-dry adherent dressing.
If there is necrotic tissue, foreign bodies, and/or high viscosity exudate is present.
What is one way to release an adhered bandage away from the wound with limited stress on the patient?
Rehydrate the dressing.
Name the indications for using a dry-to-dry adherent dressing.
Degloving injuries, bite wounds, lacerations, deep cavity wounds.