Non-healing wounds are also known as chronic wounds. It is a wound that does not improve after four weeks and does not heal in eight or more weeks. There is some Non-healing wound Treatment that cures it.
There are different reasons why wounds will not heal. These include bacterial infection, poor circulation of build, fluid build-up in major tissue sections, and other forms of infections. Patients with diabetes are commonly faced with non-healing wounds.
Non-healing wounds lead to more infections. Bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas can infect non-healing wounds because the wounds are opened. These infections often lead to serious medical conditions and may cause the affected parts of the body to be amputated.
Examples of non-healing wounds include diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, venous-related ulcerations, wounds related to metabolic disease, non-healing surgical wounds, wounds that break down repeatedly.
Causes of Non-Healing wounds
1. Lack of Adequate Nutrition
When adequate nutrients such as vitamins, zinc, calcium, et al are lacking in your body, it could lead to a situation whereby wounds don’t heal.
Make sure you eat fruits and vegetables that contain essential vitamins your body needs to fight against diseases. Eat balanced diets that contain enough proteins for proper blood generation and circulation.
2. Diabetes
Diabetes cause wounds to slowly heal due to the high level of blood sugar. The high level of blood sugar affects the circulation of the blood and immune system.
It can also damage the nerves that are responsible for pain transmission. When these nerves are damaged, the body won’t know that there is a wound or something that hurts. This leads to a low healing process and could also lead to infections.
3. Infections
When your wound is infected, the healing process slows down. Open wounds cause bacteria to enter into the body. When these bacteria get into the wound, they cause infection which leads to more damages.
4. Poor circulation of Red Blood Cells
Red blood cells are responsible for replacing dead cells with new cells. When you have a wound, it is the red blood cells that will replace the dead cells with new ones, hence causing the wound to heal.
In a situation when there is poor circulation of red blood cells, the blood will move at a slow pace to the wound site. This delays the healing process of the wound.
5. Specific form of Medications
Some medications could hinder the healing process of a wound. Medications such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy have powerful chemicals that could affect the immune system and hinder the healing process.
Anti-inflammatory drugs could also hinder the inflammatory stage that the body needs to go through in the healing process. Some antibiotics could also kill good bacteria in the body which could affect the wound site.
6. Excessive alcohol intake
Excessive intake of alcohol decreases the amount of important white blood cells that fight against bacteria in the body. This leads to a decrease in the healing process of wounds. It also increases the risk of getting infected.
7. Bed Sores
Lying on the bed for a long time causes pressure to be exerted on a particular part of the body. The pressure is exerted on the areas of the body that presses against the bed. The pressure reduces the healing process of the wound and could lead to infection.
8. Peripheral Artery Disease
Peripheral artery disease is a circulatory problem that narrows the arteries that transmit blood flow to the limbs. It hinders the flow of blood to the legs.
The lack of enough flow of blood to the leg causes the lack of white blood cells and red blood cells that helps in the healing process of wounds.
9. Smoking
Cigarettes contain nicotine which is a vasoconstrictor. It reduces the nutritional blood flow to the skin. This leads to tissue ischemia and hinders the healing process of injured tissues.
Symptoms of a Non-Healing Wound
If you have a non-healing wound, the symptoms include:
- Increased pain
- Slow healing process
- Redness, swelling, and warmth around the wound site
- Pus and fluids coming out of the wound.
- Bad smell or odor coming out of the wound
Non-Healing Wound Treatment
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Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Diabetic foot ulcers are treated by first removing the dead cells and tissues. The ulcer is cleaned and medications are applied. The wound is then dressed or bandaged. It is important to keep the blood glucose level under control. Also, avoid walking barefooted.
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Treatment of Pressure Ulcers
First, you need to gently wash the wound site with mild soap and water. You can as well use a moisture barrier to shield the wound site from bodily fluids.
For a stage II pressure ulcers, you can clean the wound with saline and remove dead tissues. It is advisable not to use iodine cleaner or hydrogen peroxide as they can damage your skin. After applying medication on the wound, dress and bandage the wound.
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Treatment of Venous-related Ulcerations
When treating venous ulcers, it is advisable to always keep the wound site clean and free of infections.
First, remove all dead tissues from the surface of the wound. The wound site should always be moist. Apply medications to the wound. You can also take oral antibiotics in case the wound has been infected.
After applying necessary medications, dress up the wound with a bandage.
A treatment known as compression therapy can be used on patients without the arterial disease to decrease the blood vessel pressure and diameter.
An Unna boot that extends from the toe to below the knee can be used to promote the healing process. It increases blood flow to the heart and reduces infection.
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Non-Healing Surgical wounds
A non-healing surgical wound is a wound from a surgical process that is slow to heal. This condition can be caused by a bacterial infection, weakened immune system or diabetes.
Treatment of non-healing surgical wound first starts with debridement. The dead tissues are removed and the wound properly cleaned.
Medications are applied to the wound and then bandaged. Severe cases can be treated with Systematic hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Non-Healing Wound Treatment method uses artificial oxygen to increase the healing process of the wound.
