wound care for chronic wound

chronic wound care home

Everybody has endured a painful minor cut or ingrown toenail. You don’t need to pay much attention to the majority of minor wounds because they heal so quickly on their own. But what occurs when a wound doesn’t completely heal?

Your burn or ulcer doesn’t regenerate into new, healthy skin; instead, it turns red and infected over time, getting worse. These non-healing wounds are regarded as chronic wounds after 30 days and need specialized care to recover entirely.

Chronic non healing wounds are ones that fail to heal, recover slowly, or heal but keep coming back. Chronic (ongoing) skin wounds can have a variety of causes, like trauma, burns, skin diseases, infections, or underlying medical problems like diabetes. Long-lasting wounds require special attention.

common cause of chronic wounds

Common causes of chronic wounds include—

• having bed sores or other injuries that prevent movement and are caused by specific pressure restricting the flow of blood
• Skin damage from severe trauma
• Incisions formed during surgery run the risk of infection and take a long time to heal.
• severe burns
• underlying illnesses like diabetes or a few other kinds of vascular dysfunction
• certain infections like the Buruli or Bairnsdale ulcers (Mycobacterium ulcerans)
• Trophic ulcers, which can develop in conditions like leprosy and diabetic neuropathy where there is a loss of sensation and regular stress can cause an ulcer.

what hinders chronic wound healing?

The following factors can cause a wound to heal more slowly:

• Age: Older people’s wounds typically heal more slowly.
• Diet: Eating poorly might affect the body of minerals like vitamin C, zinc, and protein that are necessary for wound healing.
• Hemorrhage: Bleeding continuously will keep the edges of the wound apart.
• Infection: A bacterial infection could occur in an open wound. Rather than treating the wound, the body fights the infection.
• Mechanical injury: For instance, continual pressure and friction can lead to bedsores in a person who is bedridden.
• medical illnesses that impair the immune system, such as diabetes, anaemia, and various vascular diseases that impede blood circulation to the body.
• Necrosis, or dead skin, impedes the recovery process by bringing in foreign substances.
• Reduced blood circulation and swelling from varicose veins can cause skin breakdown and chronic ulceration.
• Smoking – tobacco use hinders recovery and raises the possibility of problems.
• The body’s natural healing process may be hampered by various medications or chronic wound treatment used to treat specific medical disorders.

what can cause an infection in a chronic wound?

Although both chronic and acute wounds cause damage to the body, they differ in how long they take to heal.

In general, a wound is considered chronic if it persists for more than 30 days without healing, while an acute wound cures or improves in a shorter time.

Not all wounds go through the process of healing in a speedy and appropriate manner, acute wounds heal effectively via the hemostasis, inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phases.

The healing process can be hampered by a variety of physiologic and mechanical variables, leading to a chronic wound that does not progress past the inflammatory stage. 

Immunodeficiency, starvation, diabetes and trauma are some of the most prevalent conditions that are known to hinder the natural healing process.

Even worse, if you have additional risk factors like poor wound care or unbalanced blood sugar, a persistent wound may get infected.

Ineffective Wound Cleaning

Cleaning the wound is an easy yet crucial part of preventing infections, particularly in cases with chronic wounds. Bacteria will seize the chance to multiply and transmit infection very rapidly if your wound is not thoroughly treated every day. The risk of developing a chronic wound infection increases if you don’t follow your advised wound-cleaning proper procedure:

• Wash your wound with mild soap and clean, warm water.
• Use a soft washcloth or gauze pad to gently dab or swipe the wound.
• Dry skin using a fresh cloth.
• Dress the wound with a new, sterile bandage.
• Avoid places where there can be bacteria, such as public pools and hot tubs.

Uncontrolled Blood Sugar

A blood sugar imbalance is an obvious symptom of diabetes. Diabetes occurs when the hormone that converts sugar into usable energy, insulin, cannot be produced or used by the body effectively. Glucose accumulates in the bloodstream and causes serious health issues when insulin is unable to do its work.

High blood sugar seriously hinders your body’s capacity to mend itself:

• causes swelling across the body.
• reduces the immune system’s defenses
• prevents nutrition and oxygen from nourishing and reviving damaged cells.
• stops red and white blood cells from going to the wound

Ineffective healing processes have no fight against unchecked infection. This is particularly true because germs love the extra sugar that diabetes patients’ bloodstreams can hold.

Chronic wound infection is more likely to happen if you don’t take measures to control your sugar levels and reduce the negative consequences of diabetes.

how to heal chronic wounds?

It’s crucial to take a few proactive measures to ensure that your wound is healing as quickly as possible. These might seem a little obvious, but many people fail to take these easy steps because they are worried about or have a narrow focus on serious injuries. 

You can get the quickest and safest healing of your chronic wound, so make sure to follow these steps —

• Always wash your hands before cleaning, touching or changing your bandage
• Keep your dressing clean and dry
• Be cautious 
• Take good rest
• Focus on your nutrition
• Stay physically active

when should you call your healthcare professionals?

Regularly check your wounds. Immediately consult a physician if you experience any symptoms, such as—

• bleeding
• fever
• increasing pain or discomfort
• pus or discharge from the incision

If you have any worries regarding your wound, always talk to your doctor.

eating to help you recover quicker

If wounds don’t heal properly, they might leave significant scars. Include proper nutrition in your diet to help heal wounds more quickly.

Your body will require additional calories, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, and occasionally zinc as a part of the recovery process. Eat a variety of nutritious foods to improve your nutrition.

• Boost the progress of your healing process with protein.

The body requires protein to rebuild skin, tissues, and muscle, so experts advise taking two to three portions of protein every day to speed up wound healing.

• Get the necessary vitamins to speed up wound healing.

According to experts, a portion of food containing a lot of A, vitamin C, and zinc should be consumed at least once daily, as these nutrients aid in the body’s ability to fight off infections while wounds are healing.

how can portea help cure chronic wounds at home?

It’s necessary to properly care for chronic wounds in order to prevent any significant complications or infections. Having a sufficient supply of wound care products and any necessary wound dressings is the safest approach to do this.

Portea is a leading provider of nursing services for wound care. Many of the people we care for as home health care providers require wound care. Nursing care that is given to assist in treating and mending either acute or chronic wounds is known as wound care.

When wound care is provided at home, it is different than when it is done in a hospital setting. A home health care nurse visits your home to do a comprehensive assessment as the first step in the procedure. Your doctor is informed of the assessment, and a suitable nursing care plan is created.