Wound Management and Infection Control Flashcards
Why are patients in hospital especially prone to the risk of infection?
Diminished health entails lowers resistance to infectious microorganisms
Invasive procedures provide points of entry for malicious agents
What’s a HAI and what are two common ways of getting them?
Healthcare associated infection.
Surgical site infection
Catheter associated urinary tract infection
What are the 3 key elements of the chain of infection?
Source (reservoir) of infectious agent and exit and entry points out of reservoir
A mode of transmission for the pathogen
A susceptible host with a portal of entry to receive the pathogen
What are Standard Precautions?
A set of procedures that aim to limit the transmission of infection which protects both the patients and the healthcare workers
Standard Precautions should be applied when handling what?
Blood (including dried)
Mucous membranes
All other bodily fluids/substances
Non-intact skin
What the 10 components of Standard Precautions?
Hand Hygiene PPE Respiratory hygiene (cough etiquette) Sharps safety Safe injection practices Aseptic Non-Touch Technique Reprocess reusable instruments Clean and disinfect environmental surfaces routinely Appropriate handling of linen Waste management
What the 3 types of transmission based precautions?
Droplet
Airborne
Contact
Steps for Droplet Precautions
Hand hygiene
Put on surgical mask
Take off surgical mask
Hand hygiene
Steps for Airborne Precautions
Hand hygiene Put on N95 or P2 mask Perform a fit check on mask Dispose of mask Hand hygiene
Steps for Contact Precautions
Hand hygiene Put on gown or apron Put on gloves Dispose of gloves Hand hygiene Dispose of gown or apron Hand hygiene
What is T.I.M.E.D and what is it used for?
Wound assessment tool
Tissue Infection Moisture Edges Depth
What components should you look for in tissues in a wound assessment?
What colour is the wound? Granulation=red Epithelialisation=pink Necrotic=black Slough=yellow Infection=green Pus=white
What are the 5 signs of infection in a wound?
Pain Odour Swelling Warmth Redness
What components of moisture should you look for in a wound assessment?
A balance between wet and dry. Shouldn’t be cracked and flaky or look like they’ve been in a bath too long (macerated)
What should you be looking for in the edges in a wound assessment?
If they are raised or rolled, also looking for colour like red or a dusky appearance
What should you be looking for when consider depth in a wound assessment?
Apart from measuring depth you should look for tunnels in the skin called sinuses that can be a way for the wound to spread around the body
What are the four stages of wound healing?
Haemostasis
Inflammatory
Proliferative
Re-epithelialisation (Maturation)
What happens in the Haemostasis phase?
The immediate reaction to the wound is capillaries retract to stop bleeding. Red blood cells and platelets are released into the wound to aggregate and form a clot
What happens in the Inflammatory phase?
The capillaries re-dilate in order to let white blood cells into the wound. They differentiate in neutrophils and macrophages which are phagocytic. These then eat the dead cells in the wound
What happens in the Proliferative phase?
The wound is filled from top to bottom with granulating tissue which consists of newly formed capillaries and connective tissues. Fibroblasts enter the surrounding wound and multiply. Myofibroblasts allow the wound to shrink at the final part of this stage
What happens in the Re-Epithelialisation phase?
Once the granulating tissue is almost level with the surrounding skin, the epithelial cells change shape so they can locomote across the wound bed, covering it. Once the skin is connected again these cells return to their normal appearance and attach themselves to the basement membrane. The granulation tissue then matures to scar tissue with collagen fibres to maximise tensile strength
What are the two types of wound healing?
Primary: When skins closes together again with minimal tissue loss
Secondary: Healing when there has been extensive tissue loss so that the skin is unable to join together again. Takes much longer and involves more scarring
