What is Wound?

Wound is an injury to the body as from violence, accident or surgery that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane such as skin.

Open wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured.

Different types of open wounds:

Abrasion:

Minor scratch upto epidermis only where dermis is intact. It can occur upon rubbing or scratching against a rough surface. To avoid infection, scrubbing and cleaning of the wound is done. In case of abrasion, not much bleeding occurs, and it’s a less severe open wound.

A common cause of abrasion is falling on road or hitting against a rough surface.

Laceration:

When dermis is also damaged & muscles are visible through wound. It is a deep cut, and bleeding occurs.

Common causes of lacerations include mishandling of knives, sharp tools, and workplace accidents involving coming in contact with fast running machine parts.

Puncture:

When Skin is punctured by any sharp edged article.

Puncture wounds can be quite deep and may cause injury to internal organs.

Common causes of puncture wounds include needles, nails, or even bullets.

Often punctured wounds require a tetanus shot & treatment to prevent infection. It is recommended to clean the wound and visit a doctor.

Avulsion:

A more severe form of open wound, avulsions involve tearing away of skin and the underlying tissue. The tear may be partial or complete.

Heavy, profuse bleeding is observed and immediate medical attention is required.

Common causes of avulsion include serious accidents, bullet injuries, explosions, etc.

First of all the wound surfaces is washed well with Antiseptics like Dilute Nuvlon Antiseptic or rectified spirit etc.

Then a good antiseptic lotion is applied like 10% povidone Iodine. If injury is fresh, stitches are applied. If wound is more than 12 hours old then it is cleaned thoroughly but stitches should be avoided. If fracture is also there & there is swelling, a plaster cast should be applied after dressing the wound. This requires supervision of a qualified doctor.

How are open wound treated?

Home care for minor wounds

Firstly the wound should be washed to remove all dirt and debris. Minor wound should be disinfected by hand sanitizer, spirit or Dilute Nuvlon Antiseptic & then covered by First Aid Dressing Panther Plast FAD. Povidone Iodine lotion once applied by cotton swab can heal minor wound

When to see a doctor

If dermis is pierced or wound is deep & muscles are visible then stitches must be applied immediately or wound may become septic & will not heal by first intention. If wound does not get healed or problem still persists, consult a doctor.

Medical treatments

If the wound is a cut of more than 2cm it should be stitched. If wound is dirty it must be cleaned well & then dressed properly after applying some antiseptic cream. Cohesive Bandage or Adhesive Tape should be tied after putting the dressing.

Are there any complications from having an open wound?

Yes, it can get infected easily if not cleaned & covered properly.
Stitches can open if the underneath wound has not been disinfected properly.
If wound is kept open, a fly can lay eggs in the wound & Maggots can grow in the wound, which is very dangerous.

About This Author

dhruv sabharwal
Joined: September 7th, 2020

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