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Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Wound Causes and Types

Wounds occur when the skin is broken or damaged because of injury. The skin can be damaged in a variety of ways depending upon the mechanism of injury.

• Inflammation is the skin's initial response to injury.
• Superficial (on the surface) wounds and abrasions leave the deeper skin layers in tact. These types of wounds are usually caused by friction rubbing against an abrasive surface.
• Deep abrasions (cuts or lacerations) go through all the layers of the skin and into underlying tissue like muscle or bone.
• Puncture wounds are usually caused by a sharp pointed object entering the skin. Examples of puncture wounds include a needle stick, stepping on a nail, or a stab wound with a knife.
• Human and animal bites can be classified as puncture wounds, abrasions, or a combination of both.
• Pressure sores (bed sores) can develop due to lack of blood supply to the skin caused by chronic pressure on an area of the skin (for example, a person who is bedridden, sits for long hours in a wheelchair, or a cast pressing on the skin). Individuals with diabetes, poor circulation (peripheral vascular disease), or malnutrition are at an increased risk of pressure sores.

Proper wound care is necessary to prevent infection, assure there are no other associated injuries, and to promote healing of the skin. An additional goal, if possible, is to have a good cosmetic result after the wound has completely healed.

This wound care article is designed to present information on wounds involving mainly the skin; it is not meant to cover all wounds (for example, gunshot, degloving wounds, tendon lacerations, and others).