Ronan Castronuevo

ISM-Period 7

Wells, Carla, and Lynn Power. Skin and Wound Care Manual. Newfoundland Labrador, 2008,

westernhealth.nl.ca/uploads/PDFs/wound%20care%20manual%20for%20dianne%20clements%

20final.pdf.

 The integumentary layers, from superficial to deep, are: the epidermis, dermis,
subcutaneous tissue, muscle, and bone.
 It’s role in the human body is to provide a barrier for protection, regulate temperature,
synthesize vitamin D, and work with the nervous system to provide touch sensations.
 The four phases of wound healing are hemostasis, the inflammatory phase, the
proliferative phase, and the maturation phase.
 Maintaining a moist environment on the wound hastens the wound healing process.
 Maintaining a moist environment can significantly reduce pain from the wound.
 Some factors that can affect wound healing include: smoking, stress, hypertension,
elevated cholesterol levels, metabolic disorders, medications, nutrition, surgery, age, and
alcoholism.
 With the first stage, hemostasis, the body tries to stem the bleeding upon injury by
constricting blood vessels and clotting with platelets.
 In the inflammatory phase, white blood cells travel to the wound and begin digesting
dead tissue, cell debris, and bacterial strands to prevent infection and clean up the wound.
 The proliferative phase has two sub-phases, which are dependent on how deep the injury
is in the integumentary system.
 Granulation being the first sub-phase, which occurs if the epidermis has been destroyed,
fibroblasts in the dermis produce a layer of collagen in the wound space.
 Next angiogenesis, or the development of new blood vessels, occurs in order to bring the
necessary nutrients for the healing process.
 Granulation typically begins 12-48 hours after the wound develops, and is characterized
as the scarring phase—which produces skin that is around 80% of its original strength.
 Epithelialization occurs when the injury is superficial, and will result in a fully healed
wound with natural skin.
 With epithelialization, regeneration will begin after the hemostatic and inflammatory
stages are complete.
 The final phase, maturation phase, can take up to two years to complete and is after
granulation healing.
 During this phase scar tissue aligns its structure to increase durability and collagen
bundles are created to increase the tensile strength.

This medical reference book to wound care provides a lot of detailed information in the anatomy
of wound healing, in addition, it also provides several guidelines on treatments which will be a
good source of information for other key points in my presentation.
 Ronan Castronuevo
ISM-Period 7

“7 Types Of Wound Dressings & When To Use Each.” CLHGroup, CLH Healthcare, 12 Dec. 2017,

www.clhgroup.co.uk/news-article/2017/09/12/7-types-of-wound-dressings-when-to-use-

each/258.

 There are seven types of wound dressings and they are hydrocolloid dressings, hydrogel
dressings, alginate dressings, collagen dressings, foam dressings, transparent dressings,
and cloth dressings.
 Hydrocolloid dressings are typically used for burn wounds, liquid excreting wounds, and
necrotic wounds.
 They can also be used for ulcer, both pressure and venous ulcers.
 Hydrocolloid dressings are non-breathable, impermeable to bacteria, and self-adhesive—
meaning tape is not required.
 Since hydrocolloid dressings are made from a flexible material, it makes them
comfortable to wear for long periods of time, even with sensitive skin.
 Hydrogel dressings can be used for semi-liquid excreting wounds, painful wounds,
necrotic wounds, second-degree burn wounds, and infected wounds.
 They can also be used for pressure ulcers and donor sites.
 Hydrogel dressings are typically used for relieving pain, through the cooling gel
component.
 Alginate dressings are used typically for wounds that have large amounts of drainage or
excretions and for packing wounds.
 They can also be used for burn wounds, venous ulcers, and severe pressure ulcers.
 They are highly absorbent and create a gel, so they must be changed around every two
days, but if changed too often—it can cause dryness or risk bacterial infection.
 Collagen dressings are used for chronic/stalled wounds, surgical wounds, burn wounds,
or wounds with a large surface area.
 They can also be used for pressure sores, ulcers, and transplant sites.
 Foam dressings can be used for a variety of wounds, but are typically used for wounds
that excrete bad odors.
 To promote healing; foam dressings absorb exudates from a wound, allow water to
permeate, retain moisture, and prevent bacterial infection.
 Transparent dressings are used when the wound needs to be monitored, since a clear film
covers the wound, and are typically used for surgical incision sites, burns, ulcers, and IV.
 Cloth dressings are the most common, and are used for minor wounds—such as cuts and
grazes.

Although there are many more different types of dressings and subcategories, these seven are
going to be the main types I will need to cover and are the most common in the ICU.
 Ronan Castronuevo
ISM-Period 7

Roddick, Julie, and Valencia Higuera. “Open Wound: Types, Treatments, and

Complications.”Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/open-wound.

 An open wound is “an injury involving an external or internal break in body tissue,
usually involving the skin” (Roddick,1)
 There are four main types of wound and they are abrasions wounds, laceration wounds,
puncture, and avulsion wounds.
 These classifications are based on the cause of the wound/injury.
 An abrasion is caused by the rubbing or scraping of the skin on a rough or hard surface:
for example, road rash.
 There is little to no bleeding, but it must be cleaned to avoid infection.
 A laceration is considered a tear or deep cut in the skin tissue, which are commonly
caused by knives or machinery that uses sharp blades.
 Stemming the bleeding from a laceration is the main priority, as it can have perfuse
bleeding.
 A puncture wound is a small opening caused by a narrow, pointed object.
 Nails, needles, and even small caliber bullets are the most common causes for a puncture
wound.
 Puncture wounds typically do not have extensive bleeding,
 Puncture wounds can damage internal organs, if they are deep enough and are located in
the main body.
 Puncture wounds must be properly assessed and treated with a tetanus shot to prevent
infection.
 Avulsion are a complete or partial tear of the superficial skin from the deep tissue.
 Most are caused by violent accidents, either extreme car accidents, explosions, or from
severe gunshots.
 Perfuse bleeding will occur, and must be treated as soon as possible.
 The main concern with open wounds is that they pose a risk of infection.
 Another concern that is more applicable to the early stages is a risk of a hemorrhage.
 A hemorrhage is bleeding that will not stop, even with direct pressure.
 In most cases necrotic tissue must be removed through debridement.

There are multiple classifications for open wounds, which I will research on another source,
however abrasions, lacerations, puncture, and avulsion wounds are going to be the main types of
wounds.