References
Initial treatment of wound patients
Abstract
Traumatic wounds are commonly encountered in veterinary practice. During the initial stages of treatment the focus will be on stabilisation of the patient, followed by attention to the wound. The key to successful wound management is to thoroughly remove factors that will delay wound healing; this will require consideration of the aetiology of the wound, level of contamination, extent of tissue necrosis, and damage to underlying tissues and structures. These factors all need to be considered when planning how, and when, wound closure will be performed.
Whenever presented with a patient that has sustained trauma, whether it be from a bite wound, a road traffic accident, or a burn wound, there are certain steps that should be taken in order to stabilise the patient. There will be some variation, depending on the injury sustained, but wound management is one component of the overall assessment of the patient.
When dealing with the classic traumatic wound, a careful and detailed assessment of the patient should be performed before wound management commences. That said, at the same time, consideration of the wound needs to be made, in order to reduce haemorrhage, prevent further contamination by the patient and the environment, and to prevent dessication of the wound. In these initial stages some type of protective dressing or bandage should be applied. Depending on the location of the wound this may require some extensive bandaging, e.g. penetrating wounds to the thorax or abdomen (Figure 1), or a simple pressure dressing, e.g. cut pad.
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