Enhanced Wound Care Center
At BPK9 International Hospital, the Enhanced Wound Care Center has been established to provide holistic and comprehensive wound treatments for all types of wounds ranging from general to the most complicated wound conditions. A wound is an injury that breaks the skin or other body tissue, it can be open with broken skin and exposed the body tissue, or closed when there is damage to the body tissue under intact skin. However, the level of wound severity will significantly range depending on the type.
Wound Types
- Penetrating wounds; puncture wounds, surgical wounds and incisions, thermal, chemical or electric burns, bites and stings, gunshot wounds, or other high-velocity projectiles that can penetrate the body.
- Blunt force trauma; abrasions, lacerations, skin tears.
- Closed wounds. They are often caused by blunt trauma, and though the injured tissue is not exposed, there can be bleeding and damage to the underlying muscle, internal organs, and bones. Major types of closed wounds include
- contusions – blunt trauma causing pressure damage to the skin or underlying tissues
- blisters - a small bubble between the skin layers containing watery or bloody fluid caused by friction and pressure, burning, freezing, chemical irritation, disease, or infection.
- seroma – a fluid-filled area that develops under the skin or tissue
- hematoma – a blood-filled area that develops under the skin or tissue (occurring when there is internal blood vessel damage to an artery or vein)
- crush injuries - a crush injury occurs when force or pressure is put on a body part, or any part of the body is squeezed between two heavy objects.
- Ulcers. There are four main types of ulcers; pressure, venous, arterial, and neuropathic. Venous and arterial ulcers are vascular wounds caused by problems with the circulatory system. As their names suggest, they result from insufficient blood flow in the veins and arteries. Both types are painful, most commonly found on the legs or feet, and eventually can lead to infections such as cellulitis. Neuropathic ulcers, on the contrary, may be painless, because they arise from minor trauma unnoticed because of a loss of sensation, known as peripheral neuropathy interfering with the ability to sense injuries, leading patients to unknowingly place stress on the limb’s pressure points until an ulcer develops. Diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic ulcers. If peripheral vascular disease is also present, there is a greater risk for infection and amputation may sometimes be the best choice of life-saving.
Wound Symptoms
The most common symptoms of wounds are pain, swelling, and bleeding. Depending on the location and type of injury, some wounds will hurt, bleed, and swell. Minor wounds like cuts, scrapes, bruises, and scratches, are very common and usually don’t require medical attention; however, some serious wounds including infected wounds require critical and urgent treatments to preserve function and prevent complications. Signs of an infected wound include soreness, redness, oozing, and pus in the wound. Other serious wounds that require medical care like;
- wounds result in significant force or trauma
- wounds with persistent bleeding despite pressure and elevation
- wounds that require stitches to close
- wounds caused by an animal bite
- wounds which cannot be easily cleaned
Chronic or Non-Healing Wounds are those that fail to progress in a timely manner, usually within four weeks to three months. Many factors lead to chronic, non-healing wounds, including systemic illnesses, age, and repeated trauma, as well as conditions such as:
- Diabetes, anemia, cancer, and other long-term medical conditions including arthritis and kidney disease
- Heart issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease or varicose veins
- Immobility, such as being confined to a wheelchair or bed (bedsore)
- Harmful habits such as smoking, an unhealthy diet, or inactivity
- A weakened immune system from chemotherapy, immunosuppressive medications or medical conditions like AIDS
- Infected wounds
- Circulation problems
- A history of ulcers
- Certain medications
Signs of chronic, non-healing wounds are similar to infected wounds and include pus, redness or warmth around the wound, a foul odor, increasing pain, darkening skin at the edges, and fever.
Wound Complications
The most common complication from wounds is infection. If an infection becomes undiagnosed or untreated, it can cause cellulitis – a painful bacterial skin infection or spread to underlying tissue and bone called osteomyelitis. Infected wounds can also lead to sepsis leading to organ failure, and death.
When a wound has dead tissue like bedsores, it is called a necrotic wound which can be eschar and slough. Eschar wounds have a dry, thick, leathery appearance and are often tan, brown, or black. However, slough wounds are yellow, tan, green, or brown and may be moist, loose, and stringy. Necrotizing fasciitis is a flesh-eating disease that causes severe necrotic wounds. Necrotizing fasciitis symptoms include red or purple skin in the infected area, severe pain, fever, and vomiting, they are unable to heal until the dead tissue is removed in a surgical process called debridement. Other wound complications like; periwound dermatitis, edema and periwound edema, hematomas, dehiscence, maceration, etc.
Enhanced Wound Care and Recovery
Chronic, complex, and non-healing wounds are painful, life-threatening, and can be more difficult. If not treated properly they can eventually result in a limb amputation, a severe systemic reaction, or potentially even death, so timely, appropriate interventional and preventive wound care is necessary for a successful outcome.
Our BPK9 enhanced wound care canter is equipped with the latest technologies and innovations to properly tailor comprehensive wound care plans based on insight from specialists and extensive wound assessments that determine all factors contributing to and affecting each patient’s wounds.
