Chronic Wounds

Nonhealing Surgical Wounds: Sometimes people have underlying causes like diabetes, poor nutrition or poor circulation that makes an cut or incision during surgery take longer to heal. These are called surgical wounds, and if the wound is not healing after a few weeks, then it is considered a “non-healing” surgical wound.

 

Traumatic Wounds: Traumatic wounds are breaks or openings in the skin caused by physical injury or trauma. These can include skin abrasions, cuts, contusions, bites, burns, etc.

 

Pyoderma Gangrenosum: Pyoderma gangrenosum is a medical condition that causes large painful sores to break out over the skin. The sores usually develop on the lower legs (often the front of the shin), but can also start on the hands, breast, trunk of the body, or head and neck. See the NIH website for more information.

 

Acute Arterial Inusufficiency:  When veins and arteries cannot efficiently carry enough blood to lower extremities, ulcers can start to develop.  “[Acute and chronic arterial] ulcers account for approximately 20% of all leg ulcers.”**

 

 Acute arterial ulcers are ”most commonly associated with an embolie event. Part of a plaque is dislodged from the arterial wall and is forced into the smallest artery that will accommodate it. The tissue distal to the embolism, previously fed by the artery, becomes ischemie, then necrotic.” ** 

 

 ** See article in Advances in Skin and Wound Care

 

Necrotizing Fasciitis: Necrotizing fasciitis is a serious infection that starts in the soft tissue right under the top layer of skin. The infection spreads along flat layers of fibrous tissue and starts to separate them from each other. Symptoms include swelling, redness, and tenderness. The infection is incredibly painful, and a physician should be seen immediately. Click here for more information.