Thursday, July 28, 2016

By Catherine Turner


Chronic wounds are at times quite difficult to manage especially if there is a lot of dead tissue. Wound debridement is the process through which this dead tissue is removed. In some cases, there may be a need to remove foreign materials such as wood, glass and metal. The number of sessions varies depending on the amount of tissue to be removed. We will look at the benefits of this procedure and the methods that can be used.

There are several benefits of having debridement of wounds. One of the most important is the fact that the process of healing is expedited. This is because, the dead tissues typically entrap bacterial organisms which causes the infection to persist. The tissue may also hold pus in some pockets and make it difficult for antibiotics to penetrate them. Associated odor is significantly reduced once the tissues are removed.

Methods used for this exercise are greatly variable. Examples include surgical, autolytic, enzymatic, mechanical and biosurgery debridement. Each of these may be used singly or in combination. Combinations usually yield the best results. The choice is determined by factors. These include, among others, the type of wound involved, the level of pain anticipated and the risk of infection.

The surgical technique has been in existence for a fairly long period of time. It is associated with the quickest results. Unfortunately, it causes considerable pain, blood loss and damage to normal tissues. Apart from the removal of necrotic tissue, this method also leads to the release of cytokines and growth factors that may contribute to the healing process. Pressure dressing helps minimize excessive bleeding and local anesthesia is usually administered for the pain.

The autolytic tissue removal procedure is a natural process that relies on the natural enzymes of the body that are released by white blood cells. The enzymes target abnormal tissues and space the viable ones. They include elastase, acid hydrolase, collagenase and myeloperoxidase to mention but a few. The main disadvantage is that these enzymes act very slowly.

Chemical (enzymatic) debridement has many similarities with the autolytic process. The major difference is that the enzymes that are used here are artificial. Examples include paparin, trypsin, collagenase and streptokinase among others. Many, if not all of these enzymes are available commercially. Of all the options available, the collagenase option is the most effective and the most commonly used.

Biosurgery (also termed myiasis) is a biological debridement method that uses fly maggots. The maggots are bred in a sterile environment before being introduced to the wound. They selectively destroy the dead tissue and spare the normal areas. Other mechanisms are believed to be involved as well. For instance, they are said to kill and ingest bacteria as well by producing a number of enzymes. They also increase the PH of the area as well as oxygenation both of which favor healing.

Debriding a wound is associated with numerous benefits with the most important being the fact that healing is expedited. The need for this procedure is made based on a number of factors. These include, among others, the size of wound involved, its location and the severity of infection. These factors may also be considered when choosing the type of debridement to be used for a specific case.




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