Wound healing is a complex process for the body. There are many factors that are involved in the process of wound healing. Surgical technologists need to be aware of how wounds are classified to show level of contamination, the healing process, complications that can delay healing to patients, and the implications.
According to J. Zinn (2012), “In 1964, the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council1 published its land- mark study on the use of ultraviolet lights in the OR, and the era of classifying wounds by the contamination present (or the potential for contamination) began.” The categories for wound healing were originally put into place by The American College for surgeons and then the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) modified them (J. Zinn, 2012, p. 274). The first is Class I or clean wounds. These are wounds that are clean and do not enter any tracts such as the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), respiratory tract, and urinary tract. An example would be a clean incision for a surgery (J. Zinn, 2012, p. 275). Second is Class II or clean contaminated wounds. These are uncontaminated wounds or incisions that enter a tract (Mulholland and Doherty, 2006, p. 141) An example of this is a hysterectomy (J. Zinn, 2012, p.275). Third is class III or contaminated wounds. These are open accidental wounds, a break in sterile technique, or the spillage from a tract such as the GI tract (Mulholland and Doherty, 2006, p.141). Lastly is Class IV or dirty/infected wounds. The wounds are more than four hours old and were more than likely contaminated prior to incision (J. Zinn, 2012, p. 276). Along with classifications of wounds there are types of wound healing.
Wound healing is separated in different categories. The first is p...
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..., RN, J. (2011, February 26). Surgery incision complication dehiscence and evisceration – surgical wound dehiscence and evisceration. Retrieved from http://surgery.about.com/od/aftersurgery/ss/DehiscenceEvisc.htm
Mulholland, M. W., & Doherty, G. M. (2006). Complications in surgery. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Wound Care. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.atitesting.com/ati_nextn/skillsmodules/content/wound care/equipment/a_and_p.html
Zinn, J. L. (2012). Surgical wound classification:Communication is needed for accuracy. AORN Journal, 95(2), 274-278. Retrieved from http://www.nursingconsult.com/nursing/journals/0001-2092/full text/PDF/s0001209211011070.pdf?issn=0001 2092&full_text=pdf&pdfName=s0001209211011070.pdf&spid=24970366&article_id= 77435
Zinn, S. P. Types of Wound Healing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medstudentlc.com/page.php?id=67
The Company publishes "Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment," which quickly becomes one of the standard teaching texts for antiseptic surgery. It helps spread the practice of sterile surgery in the U.S. and around the world.
Surucuoglu S, Gazi H, Kurutepe S, Ozkutuk N, Ozbakkaloglu B (2005) Bacteriology of surgical wound infections in a tertiary care hospital in Turkey. East Afr Med J. 82:331–336.
Evaluation of the wound related to the nutritional aspect. The best coverage to be used is then chosen.
Melling, C. A., Baqar, A., Eileen, M. S., & David, J. L. (2001, September 15). Effects of preoperative warming on the incidence of wound infection after clean surgery; a randomised control trial. The Lancet, 358, 876-880.
Florman S, Burgdorf M, Finigan K, Slakey D, Hewitt R, Nichols R. Efficacy of Double Gloving with an Intrinsic Indicator System. Surgical Infections. Vol 6. No 4. 2005
Williams, L. Leaper, D. “Nutrition and Wound healing”, 2006, Clinical Nutrition Update, vol. 5, no.1, pp.3-5.
Pressure ulcers are one of the most common problems health care facilities often face which causes pain and discomfort for the patient, cost effective to manage and impacts negatively on the hospital (Pieper, Langemo, & Cuddigan, 2009; Padula et al., 2011). The development of pressure ulcers occur when there is injury to the skin or tissue usually over bony prominences such as the coccyx, sacrum or heels from the increase of pressure and shear. This injury will compromise blood flow and result in ischemia due to lack of oxygen being delivered (Gyawali et al., 2011). Patients such as those who are critically ill or bed bounded are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers (O'Brien et al., 2014).
Surgical technologists are members of the surgical team who work in the operating room with surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other personnel before, during and after surgery. Techs are basically considered the surgeons “right hand man”. They may prepare a patient for surgery by washing, shaving, and disinfecting where the incision may be. They arrange the equipment, instruments, and supplies in the operating room according to the preference of the surgeons and nurses (Ferguson 537). During the operation, they count all equipment used, and hold retractors and cut sutures as directed. Following the operation, they may clean and restock the OR and sterilize the used equipment (Ferguson 538).
(A)Wound healing is a biological process occurring in the human body. In this lecture we had discussed about both acute and chronic wounds. An acute wound is an injury to the skin that occurs suddenly rather than over time. It heals at a predictable and expected rate according to the normal wound healing process. The chronic wounds do not heal in an orderly set of stages and in a predictable amount of time the way most wounds do.
Carlton suffered an acute tissue injury on his foot after stepping on a sharp edge shell, which disrupted the layers of the skin. Immediately after an injury occurs, an inflammatory response begins, which serves to control and eliminate altered tissue/cells, microorganism, and antigens. This takes place in two phases. 1) The vascular phase, in which small vessels(arterioles, venules) at the site of injury undergo changes. Beginning, with
48) "we never got the habit of happiness as others know it. It was always as if
As the healthcare system advances, so too must the nursing field become more advanced within its practice. It is not just enough to become a Registered nurse these days. Healthcare and technology has evolved to produce a smaller, more interconnected world, healthcare costs have increased, which in turn has created organizational restructuring and change in practices; thus, allowing the need for nurses to develop critical thinking skills and take on leadership roles. Many facilities are seeking professionals with leadership skills who can practice in specialty areas which are most needed. One of these areas is in wound care. According to an article published in New Jersey
This phase generates the necessary actions that are vital in preparing the wound for healing. The body is attempting to remove the triggering stimulus (if present), limit the tissue damage, and set the stage for repair and regeneration of the wound (Rowan et al., 2015). If natural biological healing does not progress satisfactorily, it can lead to a chronic wound with chronic inflammation, though this is most often associated with other disease conditions or a compromised immune system. On a larger scale, this is a significant, world-wide issue of concern for present and future research, because these types of non-healing or persistent wounds impact on the quality of life for an estimated 40 million people worldwide and are costly in many ways (Zhao, Liang, Clarke, Jackson, & Xue,
Treatment for this condition depends on the severity of the cut, including the risk of infection and how deep the wound is.
When a wound is determined as non-healable, as described by Sibbald et al (1), it should not be treated with a moist treatment and should be kept dry in order to reduce the risk of infection that would compromise the limb. It is also important to consider the patient 's preferences and try to control his pain, his discomfort in activities of daily living and the odour that their wound may produce. In this case, special attention must be given to infection prevention and control. Some charcoal dressing would be interesting in the care of our non-healable wounds at St. Mary 's Hospital.