What Is Wound Debridement?

Wound debridement techniques help to heal a wound that may not otherwise heal.

Whether because of a condition that affects circulation (such as diabetes) or another skin condition, sometimes wounds will not heal without medical intervention. One of the manners in which wound-healing specialists treat such wounds is through wound debridement.

Basic Principle

Wound debridement is a process to remove dead or infected tissue, which helps to spur the body to produce healthy tissue to replace the diseased tissue. This method can be used on a wound or burn.

Tools Used

Debridement can be performed by a number of medical tools, including surgical, chemical, mechanical or through using the body's own tissues.

Benefits

Debridement helps to remove diseased or contaminated cells in the body, which helps to facilitate healing. Additional benefits include that debridement creates a more clean wound edge, which reduces scarring.

Side Effects

Side effects associated with the debridement procedure includes bleeding, infection or pain.

Additional Uses

Debridement also is useful for taking tissue samples.

References

• MedicalEdu.com
• Aurora Health Care
• American Academy of Family Physicians