Open wound (thesaurus synonyms: Abder wound; ablative wound; severance wound; acute wound; exit wound; external laceration; human bite; bite injury; bite wound; burn wound; chemical wound; bullet hole; blast injury; gunshot wound; Dog bite; dog bite injury; small open surgically dressed wound; small laceration; scratch wound; laceration; mechanical wound; knife cut wound; knife stab wound; nail avulsion; nail dislocation; open skin wound a. n.k. ; open laceration; open injury; open wound; open wound from penetrating foreign body; open wound from animal bite; perforating injury; impalement injury; laceration; laceration-squeeze wound; laceration; Laceration; laceration wound; abrasion wound; gunshot wound; gunshot wound; piercing wound; puncture wound; puncture wound with penetrating foreign body; radiation wound; thermal wound; animal bite; animal bite injury; ICD-10-GM T14. 1: Open wound on an unspecified body region) is understood to mean acute damage or injury to the superficial skin or internal surfaces and tissue destruction (separation of continuity (separation of tissue cohesion) of the skin).
From the “open wound” is distinguished:
- The “closed wound” (contusion, bruise),
- The “simple wound” (without organ involvement), and
- The “compound or complicated wound” (with organ involvement).
Wounds are distinguished according to the cause of origin – mechanically induced, thermal, chemical and radiation wounds (see “Classification”). In addition, a wound can be classified microbiologically as follows:
- Contaminated – no signs of inflammation.
- Infected – signs of inflammation
- Aseptic – e.g. surgical wound
One of the most common open wounds is a bleeding head laceration. About one in ten patients in the emergency department presents with such an injury.
Course and prognosis:
Surgical treatment is required for larger wounds or wounds that bleed profusely, as well as for bite wounds, lacerations, and gunshot and stab wounds. Wound healing is a biologically complex process with the goal of closing the wound by restoring damaged tissue or by scarring replacement. The healing process depends on the microbiological condition (see above) and on the distance between the wound edges. If the distance between the wound edges is less than 1 millimeter, wound healing proceeds rapidly (primary wound healing), as in the case of abrasions, for example. The wound heals without scarring. As soon as the body has to recreate a lot of scar tissue, this is referred to as “secondary wound healing“. A “tertiary wound healing” is a combination of secondary wound healing and subsequent skin grafting (with primary wound healing). The individual phases of wound healing are described below under “Causes”.
As a rule, the course of wound healing is favorable in acute wounds. The skin heals within 8-10 days and is fully resilient again after about 3 weeks. If the wound edges are smooth, there will be little necrotic (dead) tissue. In addition, the surface for bacteria to attack is small. The healing process can be delayed if the wound is in an unfavorable location and initially bursts open again as a result of movement (wound rupture). If healing proceeds poorly, the wound is referred to as an ulcer (ulceration) or chronic wound.
