Search Results for: wound infection

As described last week, the use of antibiotics in the management of wounds generally falls into two categories: treatment of infected wounds and prophylaxis in vulnerable wounds. This week, we will briefly consider the use of antibiotics to treat wounds that already show signs of colonization or infection. It is thought that approximately one in…

The effective and efficient management of wound infections is one of the most important skills for the wound care professional to master. Regardless of any other intervention that is applied, no matter how sophisticated, a wound will not properly heal if an untreated infection is present. Topical Antimicrobials Antimicrobial therapy is key to managing wound…

All wounds, whether resulting from physical injury or idiopathic causes, are susceptible to infection. Identifying wound infection is one of the most important roles of the wound care specialist, as an unmanaged infection can lead to chronic non-healing wounds and a wide range of complications. The Five Signs of Wound Infection Most wound care professionals…

We all know it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Unfortunately, this principle extends beyond chocolate and red wine into certain aspects of wound healing. Although we are taught that inflammation is an essential phase of the wound healing process, an excessive inflammatory response can actually slow wound healing, leaving patients…

Surgical site infections are a common complication of surgery, occurring in around 2–5% of all surgical procedures, and extending a patient’s length of stay by an average of 9.7 days. Including readmissions, this accounts for close to 1 million additional inpatient-days nationally, and a staggering $1.6 billion in excess costs. Wound infection is clearly a…