Chronic Wounds.

Chronic Wounds, A More Serious Type Of Wound.

Chronic wounds are classified by the healing process of any wound that you have.

If your wound heals in the amount of time that is normal, than you have an acute wound.

But...

If your wound DOES NOT heal in the normal time for your wound type, than you have a chronic wound.

Chronic wounds are more serious than your acute wound because they exceed 100,000 (10⁵) organisms per gram of tissue or your immune system has been compromised.

Because of this, you will often see infection when dealing with this wound type. ^Source

Cause Of Chronic Wounds.

Now, before we start. It's very hard to narrow the cause of every chronic wound because many factors go into why your wound is not healing right.

Most of the time a wound that does not heal is usually because it's not getting the proper blood supply, enough oxygen/nutrients, or from being in a dirty environment.

Also, wounds that are under pressure for prolonged periods of time can cause tissue to breakdown, eventually leading to a chronic wound.

Another major factor for a wound that doesn't heal is the health, and conditions of the person with the wound.

Some conditions, like a weak immune system, or heart disease can make wounds heal slower, therefore it's always smart to consult with a physician when you have a wound.

Other Factors That Contribute To Chronic Wounds:

• Local Infection
• Hypoxia
• Foreign Bodies
• Diabetes
• Immunodeficiency
• Malnutrition
• High Cholesterol
• Smoking
• Vascular Disease
• Heart Disease
• Prolonged Bed Rest

How To Treat, and Prevent Chronic Wounds.

When you have any wound, the best way to ensure that it doesn't turn Chronic is by avoiding all risk factors.

You can avoid the risk factors by keeping good hygiene, and caring for the wound as your medical physician recommends.

It's best to keep your wound in a clean, and sterile environment as much as possible, therefore ensure that you are checking your bandages/dressings.

If your bandages/dressings get nasty, you want to change them out and treat as your doctor recommends.

In some cases your wound may require a surgical debridement in order to remove any excess dead tissue. Doing so allows better blood flow, and nutrients to get to your wound.

In most cases if you apply the proper bandages, keep your wound clean, apply local antibiotic ointment, take anti-inflammatory medicine, and live a healthy lifestyle your body should heal the wound.

Here's How A Wound VAC Heals Your Chronic Wound.

Wound VACs are a great way to heal Chronic wounds for many different reasons.

First, wounds that are treated with a Wound VAC usually fight bacteria, and infection better than wounds without. ^Source

Also, When using vacuum assisted closure on your wound it can promote blood flow to the wound, therefore providing the wound with better healing capability.

Another great benefit for using a Wound VAC is that it helps to remove excess exudate, increases granulation in wounds that had not been granulating, and protects from trauma/contamination.

In Conclusion

The Wound VAC helps heal chronic wounds by providing many different benefits that your wound needs in order to heal.

Here Are Some Studies On It:

• Negative pressure wound therapy after partial diabetic foot amputation: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.
• Resource utilization and economic costs of care based on a randomized trial of vacuum-assisted closure therapy in the treatment of diabetic foot wounds.
• Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Literature Review of Efficacy, Cost Effectiveness, and Impact on Patients' Quality of Life in Chronic Wound Management and Its Implementation in the United Kingdom.