Wounds & Injuries

A closed wound infection ranges from a cut that healed too quickly, leaving infection under the surface of the skin, to the most commonly infected internal wounds that happen after surgery,...

Many wounds are minor and do not require medical treatment. Look for warning signs such as deepness, infections or uncontrollable bleeding. Medical care is usually needed if dirt stays in the...

The honey locust tree is a fast-growing, hardy shade tree. The tree has a sweet smell and is popular for landscaping. The honey locust has clusters of three thorns each on its branches; these...

Open wounds can be vulnerable to infections, which can quickly spread and lead to serious illness if left untreated. There are a number of ways to care for your open wound, including epsom salt...

Ultrasound-assisted wound, or UAW, therapy is a relatively new method of treating deep wounds, including bedsores, diabetic ulcers and other injuries that are infected, have impaired circulation...

Skin on the human body protects our insides against infection and disease. When it is punctured or burned, an opening presents itself for bacteria and dirt. The skin will heal naturally on its...

Some wounds require a tightly wrapped bandage. If the wound is deep and heavy bleeding is taking place, then you need to wrap the wound tightly to prevent blood loss. A wound is considered to be...

Moles are brown or skin-colored lesions that form on the body. Sometimes people have them removed because an unusual mole may be an indicator of skin cancer or even just because they think the...

Knowing how to make a wound dressing could save someone's life. There are a few basics to keep in mind. Learn these, and you will know how to make a wound dressing suitable for most wounds. You...

The debate continues between whether it is more beneficial to let a wound air-dry than heal through bandaging. Keeping wounds bandaged is believed to offer faster healing by protecting wounds from...

When treating a wound it is necessary to use extreme caution, particularly if the wound is draining. Properly covering the wound and caring for it is vital to keep the area from getting infected....

Cauterization is the surgical process of burning of tissues surrounding a wound. This is done with the intention of closing the flesh to allow it to heal and to prevent blood loss. Cauterization...

Tissue granulation in a wound bed is a positive sign because it indicates the wound is healing. Healthy granulation tissue is shiny, bleeds easily and appears beefy-red or deep pink. The surface...

Promogran Prisma Matrix is a dressing that absorbs drainage and contains a low level of silver that aids in killing bacteria. This dressing reacts with the drainage in the wound to form a gel...

Examination of the wound margin is a necessary part of any wound assessment. Wound margins vary greatly in size and shape. An examination of the wound margin is performed at regular intervals by a...

Pressure wounds, also known as pressure sores or bedsores, are ulcerous patches of skin and tissue that form when sustained pressure cuts off blood flow to that part of the body. Without blood,...

Infections in wounds can not only prolong a patient's recovery but do them additional injury. When a wound shows signs of being infected (it may be slow to heal, issue a purulent discharge or give...

Each of the body's lungs are surrounded by an airtight area in the chest. If this area is punctured and air is allowed to enter, the lung begins to collapse. This is referred to as a "open" or...

A wound's depth is defined as the distance from the skin's surface to the bottom of the wound. Initially, measurements of a wound's depth can be used as a means of evaluating the severity of the...

Soaking a wound can be beneficial when done properly; wound soaking can cleanse the injury site, thereby preventing infection and promoting healing. When an infection is already present, a warm...

Our pets are often just as important parts of our family as the human variety. Our beloved dogs are our companions through thick and thin, but they are also prone to getting cuts, scrapes and...

Puncture wounds to the foot are most often caused by animal bites, shards of glass or objects such as nails or screws. A puncture wound can be very dangerous if not treated immediately, as a...

A bed sore, also referred to as a pressure ulcer or decubitus ulcer, is caused by constant pressure to a part of the body. This pressure causes skin breakdown by decreasing blood flow to the area...

Because the scalp has many blood vessels close to the surface of the skin, a minor cut can take the appearance of a major wound. Being able to distinguish a wound that can be treated at home and a...

You were trying to be careful cutting up that chicken for dinner. You only wanted to trim off the excess fat and the knife slipped. Your first reaction may be to wash the wound with cold water....

Saline is the common name used to describe a solution of sodium chloride (NaCl) and water--in layman's terms, salt water. It usually aims to have a salt content that matches that of the human body...

Attempting to remove a wound dressing that is stuck to the wound bed is painful and disruptive to the healing process. Some gauze dressings can be used to cover a wound and other gauze dressings...

Dressing a wound requires some understanding of the most common types of dressings and how they work. While you don't need to rush to the hospital every time you experience a skin tear, cut or...

Finger wounds run a higher risk of infection since our hands are constantly in use and are touching things throughout the day. Finger injuries range from minor cuts and scrapes to serious tissue...

When dealing with open wounds the goal is two-fold: to stop the loss of blood and to stabilize the injury. After you've done that, you''ll need to prevent infection by washing out your open wound....

A macerated wound is an injury accompanied by soft, white, deteriorating skin around the site of the original injury. Maceration occurs when too much moisture is trapped between the wound and its...

Magnet therapy has been used for years in many cultures to treat injuries as well as chronic health conditions and illnesses. Small magnet-containing pads and magnetic jewelry appeared in the...

Oftentimes, at the first sign of blood, people panic. However, this is precisely the time you need to be calm and act quickly. If not treated immediately, a cut can turn into a severe infection....

Although not all wounds reach the exudation stage, those that do must be taken seriously. Even though wound exudation is a natural part of the body's healing process, such wounds should always be...

Epithelialization is the natural act of healing dermal and epidermal tissue in which epithelium grows over a wound. Epithelium is a membranous tissue made up of one or more layers of cells that...

Wounds are assessed at regular intervals to ensure the wound heals correctly and to rule out infection. Wound assessment techniques depend on the location, size and depth of the wound as well as...

The mouth is an important part of the body because it's a gateway for providing nourishment to the body, and, course we use it to communicate. When you sustain a mouth wound, you want to find...

Cuts and scrapes can often make for unsightly wounds and scars. To help speed up healing time and prevent scarring, you may want to consider a wide variety of home remedies. Aromatherapy and...

The unna boot is a bandage that is used to treat ulcerated wounds such as on the legs. It is constructed to include zinc oxide and a gelatin mixed into a paste that is in ways similar to the...

Wounds can easily become infected without the proper care and maintenance. The chance of infection drastically increases when the skin is punctured, opening a window for bacteria to enter the...

MRSA is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or drug resistant bacterial staph infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control, MRSA is highly contagious and can be spread by...

An incised wound is characterized by clean edges and often is caused by cutting instruments or sharp objects, such as broken glass. If blood vessels are cut, the wound can bleed heavily. Knowing...

Most wounds and gashes do not require professional medical treatment and are easily taken care of at home. All gashes should be monitored closely to prevent infection from setting in and to keep...

Exudate is any proteinous fluid, such as pus, that is exuded out of the circulatory system into areas of inflammation. According to the reference book "Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts,"...

There are many types of wounds, including scrapes, lacerations and puncture wounds. You must decide quickly if the wound is deep or severe enough to require stitches. If no stitches are required,...

A wound culture is performed by a health care professional from wounds that exhibit signs or symptoms of infection such as abnormal drainage, redness, poor healing and increased pain. The culture...

Any time you break through the barrier of your skin, whether with a small or large wound, take careful measures to prevent infection. Severely infected wounds are dangerous and need to be treated...

Puncture wounds do not usually cause lots of bleeding. They also seem to quickly close as well. These features make the puncture wound seem less serious than it is. Puncture wounds can be very...

It may sound strange and even a little disgusting, but doctors have used maggots to stop the spreading of necrotic flesh in wounds, kill harmful bacteria and even promote the growth of new skin....

When an injury occurs, leaving an open wound, it is important to take immediate action. Untreated wounds can lead to infections as well as permanent scars. By disinfecting and treating the wound...