Wound Classification, Depth, and Healing Processes

Vocabulary flashcards covering wound classification systems by tissue integrity, duration, contamination level, depth, intention of healing, and the physiological phases and cellular actions of wound healing.

Open Wound

A wound classification characterized by a break in the skin or mucus membrane.

Closed Wound

A wound classification characterized by no break in the skin surface.

Acute Wound

A wound characterized by a short healing timeframe.

Chronic Wound

A wound that has exceeded the expected recovery period.

Clean Wound

An uninfected wound with minimal inflammation.

Clean-Contaminated Wound

A wound with an increased risk of infection but no present symptoms.

Contaminated Wound

An open or traumatic wound carrying a high risk of infection.

Infected Wound

A wound in which the bacterial count exceeds $100,000/\text{gram tissue}$.

Superficial Wound

A wound depth classification that involves the epidermis only.

Partial-Thickness Wound

A wound depth classification extending through the epidermis, but not beyond the dermis.

Full-Thickness Wound

A wound depth classification that extends into subcutaneous tissue and beyond.

Penetrating Wound

A wound depth classification that involves internal organs.

Regeneration

A healing process occurring in the epidermis and dermis that results in no scar formation.

Primary Intention

A healing process for a clean incision with approximated edges, sutured early, requiring no tissue loss and resulting in minimal scarring or a hairline scar.

Secondary Intention

A healing process where edges are not approximated and tissue loss is present; heals from inner layer to surface with granulation tissue formation, slower healing, and higher infection risk.

Tertiary Intention

Delayed closure of wound edges where the wound is initially not sutured, allowed to partially fill with granulation tissue, and the granulating tissue is sutured together after an initial period.

Inflammatory Phase

The wound healing phase occurring during Days $1\text{--}5$, characterized by simultaneous hemostasis (constriction of severed vessels, clot formation) and inflammation (edema, erythema, pain, elevated temperature, release of bradykinin, histamine, serotonin, and prostaglandins, vasodilation, increased capillary permeability, and WBC migration).

Hemostasis

A process occurring during the inflammatory phase where severed vessels constrict, platelet and fibrin clots form, the clot contracts, and bleeding stops.

Proliferative Phase

The wound healing phase occurring during Days $5\text{--}21$, characterized by fibroblasts entering the wound, collagen synthesis, formation of new blood and lymph vessels, beefy red granulation tissue filling the wound bed, and epithelial proliferation and migration.

Granulation Tissue

Beefy red tissue that fills the wound bed during the proliferative phase of wound healing.

Maturation Phase

The wound healing phase occurring from Week $3$ to closure, characterized by collagen remodeling, contraction (shrinkage) of the wound, and increased tensile strength of maturing scar tissue.

Myofibroblasts

Specialized cells responsible for wound contraction during the repair process when there is extensive tissue loss.