WOUND HEALING

Wound Healing

Wound healing

Introduction

The skin is one of the largest and most important organs. Their importance only lies in its extension to cover all body surfaces, but also to per capital as protection functions the body against external aggression, involved in maintaining the balance electrolytic in-process thermo regulated and even in immune processes, and in turn, is the organ through the organ organism comes into contact with stimuli external and environmental factors.

Given the diversity and magnitude of these functions is easy to deduce the impact of social BRE body homeostasis can have your aggression, which determines that the maintenance of the integrity of the skin is of vital health importance (Cannon, 2001). These attacks produce, many times, the disruption of in- engineered skin involvement, degree variable, adjacent structures, giving rise to what called an ulcer or wound.

Wound Healing Can Be Affected Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors

A diversity of factors can measured down or impairs the wound healing process. These can be due to intrinsic, extrinsic, social factors or psychological (or a combination of these). All of these factors should be well thought-out when assessing patients with wounds.

Nutritional status

Wound and healing requires an adequate deliver of micronutrients and macro Deficiencies that can result in deprived wound healing, wound dehiscence, reduced tensile strength, and increased vulnerability to infection and poor quality scars. During the proliferative phase, epithelialisation, granulation and contraction all occur quicker in a humid environment. Therefore, the patient should not become dehydrated (Pinzur & Stuck, 2003).

Age

In increasing age, many processes get slow down. The inflammatory response reduced; therefore, the risk of infection increased. Structural changes in the skin may direct to impair increased risk of wound infection and healing in the elderly: changes in elastic fibers; decreased vascularity; epidermal thinning; reduction in function and number of sweat glands; reduced production of mast cells; decreased type III collagen.

Collagen metabolism reduced extremely due to condensed fibroblast proliferation making the scar more breakable. There is less support for blood vessels, so making them more prone to damage. It is likely that other medical problem, which are common in the elderly, slow down the healing process more than age itself (Ohio State University, 2004).

The skin's barrier system is less effective in the pre-term neonate. Their skin is also very susceptible to trauma due to a poorly developed stratum corneum and epidermal-dermal instability.

Drugs

There is a variety of drugs that can impair the healing process, for example:

Corticosteroids and non-steroidal inflammatory drugs decrease the standard inflammatory response. Corticosteroids obstruct the healing process by putting the synthesis of collagen and fibroblasts and slowing down epithelialisation. There is also a reduction in DNA synthesis. Long term use of corticosteroids can cause thinning of the skin.

Anticoagulants and Aspirin may cause excessive blood loss with the potential of a haematoma if not given in the correct dosage.

Immunosuppressive drugs reduce leukocyte activity which reduces the, inflammatory response and increases the danger of infection.

Cytotoxic drugs interfere with cell proliferation including cells needed for wound ...