Text: types of wounds

In medicine, a wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured (an open wound), or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion (a closed wound). In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.

Classification

Open

Open wounds can be classified according to the object that caused the wound. The types of open wound are:

An open wound

• Incisions or incised wounds, caused by a clean, sharp-edged object such as a knife, a razor or a glass splinter.

• Lacerations, irregular tear-like wounds caused by some blunt trauma. Lacerations and incisions may appear linear (regular) or stellate (irregular). The term laceration is commonly misused in reference to incisions. The first step to treat this kind of wound is to stop bleeding, clean and scrub the injury of any loose materials and tissue, and then apply some sort of closing technique, whether through stitching or the application of a pressure dressing. The edges of the wound will try to be realigned to speed healing and lessen scarring.

A laceration to the leg

• Abrasions (grazes), superficial wounds in which the topmost layer of the skin (the epidermis) is scraped off, but the tissue underneath remains intact. Abrasions are often caused by a sliding fall onto a rough surface. An example of this is a first-degree burn. Cleansing of the wound and removal of any foreign material is important within the first 24 hours. Treatment is usually non-surgical and consists of the application of a moist dressing to protect the new tissue that forms to heal the abrasion.

• Puncture wounds, caused by an object puncturing the skin, such as a nail or needle.

An infected puncture wound to the bottom of the forefoot.

A puncture wound from playing darts.

• Penetration wounds, caused by an object such as a knife entering and coming out from the skin.

• Gunshot wounds, caused by a bullet or similar projectile driving into or through the body. There may be two wounds, one at the site of entry and one at the site of exit, generally referred to as a "through-and-through."

Closed

Closed wounds have fewer categories, but are just as dangerous as open wounds. The types of closed wounds are:

• Contusions, more commonly known as bruises, caused by a blunt force trauma that damage tissue under the skin. When a person sustains a harsh blow, it causes tissue damage and bleeding beneath the skin, but does not tear the skin itself. Most contusions do not require medical treatment, but should be monitored for symptoms of hematoma, which is deep tissue damage. A hematoma can cause skin death over the injury and will need medical treatment. Symptoms of a hematoma are a steadily growing mass beneath the contusion and discoloration, as well as severe pain. These symptoms require immediate medical treatment.

• Hematomas, also called a blood tumor, caused by damage to a blood vessel that in turn causes blood to collect under the skin.

• Crush injury, caused by a great or extreme amount of force applied over a long period of time.

• Chronic and Acute Acute or traumatic wounds are the result of injuries that disrupt the tissue. Chronic wounds are those that are caused by a relatively slow process that leads to tissue damage. Chronic wounds include pressure, venous, and diabetic ulcers. Typically, an insufficiency in the circulation or other systemic support of the tissue causes it to fail and disintegrate. Infection then takes hold of the site and hits a critical point, it can spread locally. Once the infection hits a critical point, it can spread locally or become systemic (sepsis).