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Phases of Wound Healing

March 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Wound healing is a continuous process that begins immediately after the injury to repair the defect by restoring cellular structure and tissue layers.

Wound healing process has three distinct phases.

Each phase is a complex and well coordinated at cellular level.

Distinct phases are

  • Hemostasis
  • Inflammatory Phase
  • Proliferative or Granulation Phase
  • Remodeling Phase

Hemostasis

Some authors consider this a separate entity and do not include in phases of wound healing. Anyway hemostasis is series of events that aims to minimize the bleeding.

Before actual inflammatory phase begins, there occurs an event called clotting cascade, which helps to minimize bleeding and generate factors for actual inflammatory phase. [Read more...]

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How Do Wounds Heal and What are Types of Wound Healing?

March 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Wound healing is a complex process taken up by the body to repair the defect by restoring cellular structure and tissue layers.

Wound healing process has three distinct phases

  • Inflammatory phase
  • Proliferative phase
  • Remodeling phase

Each phase is a  complex and well coordinated at cellular level. A brief outline of healing is given below. [Read more...]

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What Is Granulation Tissue?

March 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Granulation tissue is collagen-rich tissue formed during proliferative phase of wound healing.

When initially formed, the granulation tissue is light red or dark pink in color and rich in capillary blood vessels. It is soft, moist and granular in appearance.

It is a natural stage in wound healing. But sometimes there is an overproduction and granulation tissue found in abnormal quantity, a condition known as proud flesh. [Read more...]

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New Bio-mimicking Therapeutics To Accelerate Healing of Skin Wounds

February 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

UCLA researchers led by Heather Maynard are working to take advantage of our body’s ability to heal itself by developing new bio-mimicking therapeutics that could be used to treat skin wounds.

Heather Maynard is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute.

Basic fibroblast growth factor, or bFGF is secreted by our cells to trigger processes that are involved in healing, as well as embryonic development, tissue regeneration, bone regeneration, the development and maintenance of the nervous system, and stem cell renewal. bFGF is thought to be key player in wound healing. [Read more...]

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Sweat Glands Have Major Role In Wound Healing

November 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A new study has reported that sweat glands play a major role in wound healing.

Turns out the same glands that make you sweat are responsible for another job vital to your health: they help heal wounds.

The findings were released online ahead of print in the American Journal of Pathology.

The study by Laure Rittie and colleagues is from Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Skin ulcers including those caused by diabetes or bed sores – and other non-healing wounds remain a tremendous burden on health services and communities around the world. [Read more...]

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Arginine and Proline Rich Diet In Diabetics May Lead To Better Wound Healing

November 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Chronic wounds such as foot ulcers are cause of more than 80 percent of the lower leg amputations in these patients because of wound healing problems.

In an experimental study,French researchers found that diabetic rats on a high protein diet with arginine and proline—specific molecules found in protein—showed better wound healing over rats fed either standard or high protein food without arginine and proline supplementation.

The new study appears in the online edition [Oct 3] of the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology published by the American Physiological Society. [Read more...]

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What Is Debridement

March 31, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Debridement is defined as the removal of a patient’s dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue.

The removal may be achieved by  autolytic (self-digestion), chemical and surgical. Maggot therapy is debridement where certain species of live maggots selectively eat only necrotic tissue.

Debridement is an important part of the healing process for burns and other serious wounds.

Autolytic Debridement

It uses  body’s own enzymes and moisture to re-hydrate, soften and finally liquefy hard eschar and slough.  Autolytic debridement can be achieved with the use of occlusive or semi-occlusive dressings  with hydrocolloids, hydrogels and transparent films. [Read more...]

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What Are Stages of Pressure Ulcers?

June 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment

A pressure ulcer is localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear and/or friction.

Stages of  Pressure Ulcer

Stage I

Intact skin with non-blanchable redness of a localized area usually over a bony prominence. Darkly pigmented skin may not have visible blanching; its color may differ from the surrounding area.

The area may be painful, firm, soft, warmer or cooler as compared to adjacent tissue. Stage I may be difficult to detect in individuals with dark skin tones. It may  indicate a person who is at  risk [Read more...]

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General Principles of Tendon Transfer

May 2, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Tendon transfers are used  to replace deficient motor units and to restore function. Functional loss may occur secondary to tendon rupture, peripheral nerve injury, brachial plexopathy, stroke, or other problems.

Tendon ruptures secondary to inflammatory arthritis have been discussed in an earlier section. This section will focus on tendon transfers used in restoring hand and wrist function or balancing deformity.

The functional tendon to be transferred is transected then transferred to another tendon or bone to restore function. The neurovascular supply of the donor unit is preserved, in contrast to a free tendon graft which functions primarily as a spacer or connection. [Read more...]

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