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Our final technique in this short series on wound debridement is biological debridement, a technique based on the use of maggots to remove necrotic tissue from a chronic wound. Biological Debridement History Historically, larvae have been used in wound management for centuries, notably in the Napoleonic Wars and then the American Civil War.1 The technique…

What is Surgical Debridement? Surgical debridement is similar to sharp debridement in that it relies on the use of forceps, scissors, or a scalpel to remove devitalized tissue, debris or other foreign materials from the wound bed.(1–3) However, unlike sharp debridement, surgical debridement is carried out in a sterile, operating-room environment in order to reduce…

Wound Debridement Techniques This week, in a continuation of our series on wound debridement techniques, we turn our attention to enzymatic debridement. Like autolytic debridement which we covered last week, enzymatic debridement relies on the use of enzymes to remove devitalized tissue.(1–3) However, in this case the enzymes are supplied externally (exogenously) rather than internally…

The introduction of antibiotics during the last century has been one of the single most important innovations in the field of wound management. Wounds that would previously have presented a life threatening risk to patients can now routinely be resolved with the use of an appropriate antibiotic preparation. Antibiotics & Resistant Bacteria However, as is…

Antibiotics have a vital role in wound management, both in the treatment and prophylaxis of infection. Depending on the circumstances, antibiotics may be administered systematically, topically, or via a combination of both routes.(1,2) Administering antibiotics topically generally allows a lower dose to be used, as the active component comes into direct contact with the microorganism…