Nobody is immune to chronic wounds. It’s important to get the best care as quickly as possible. Pressure sores, accident wounds, and diabetic-related ulcers are not your typical wounds. Chronic wounds need extra care to heal properly.
Wound Therapy Has Changed
Wound therapy has developed over time. Clinical trials and research are continuously changing procedures. As a result, emergency medical facilities need to be aware of the latest treatment techniques.
Wound Therapy Types
Medical facilities are on the cutting edge of wound care today. In order to properly manage patient care, several of these treatments require specialized treatment.
Wound Antibiotics
Appropriate first aid is not always given to wounds in the field. Unknown infections can occur. In this case, sealing and evaluating a wound isn’t enough. Antibiotics must be used aggressively to help clear the wound of any infection. These are used for open wounds or wounds that the patient has had trouble healing. In most cases, this is the initial indication of infection.
Dressing Treatment
The use of progressive dressing is critical when the skin is damaged. It’s especially common for burn patients to require this sort of care for severe wounds.
Bioengineered Wound Skin Grafts
Skin grafting is needed when the skin does not regenerate on its own after injury. It is possible that the skin is not healing properly in many severely lacerated wounds and burn patients. Also, leaving an open wound may do more damage than good. As a result, wound care specialists use bio-engineered skin grafts to resurface wounds. This allows the wound to heal properly.
Wound treatment has evolved significantly during the last several years. A basic gauze dressing is almost extinct. A few years ago, there were no new wound therapies available.
Certain old-fashioned wound remedies are finally regaining favor after years of neglect. Unfortunately, wound care is still a problem today, with many conventional therapies failing to deliver. Bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics may infect wounds. That’s a problem. One of the most dangerous superbugs is MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
What’s Old is New
In some cases, it’s the usage of maggots and leeches that has become trendy again. All seem to be antibacterial and are wound-healing effective treatments.
Honey has been used to heal wounds since the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese. Honey serves as a moisturizing sealant and helps keep contaminants out whether applied directly to a wound or on a bandage. Its high sugar content and vitamins and minerals are believed to offer the nutrition required for wound healing and new tissue development, according to researchers. Honey also has antibacterial qualities and draws moisture from wounds. To produce hydrogen peroxide, a honey enzyme reacts with oxygen in the air. It is antibacterial and aids in wound cleansing. In addition, beeswax may help debride and close wounds.
Children With Burns
When treating children with burns overseas, the US military utilized Manuka honey (therapeutic honey with increased antibacterial characteristics) from Australia and New Zealand and flowers in Iraq. In an emergency, it is an excellent and inexpensive first aid dressing. It is also ideal for treating burns, particularly when the cooling water is polluted. It can even kill MRSA. It is approved for use on burns and wounds by the FDA and Health Canada.
Maggots: Gross But Effective?
As relaxing as putting honey on wounds may seem, how about using maggots? The idea is not very appealing. Despite your disgust, maggots have been utilized for centuries. Maggot-infested wounds often heal better than non-infested ones, as ancient healers observed. On the battlefield during Napoleon’s reign, military doctors noticed this. After WWII, antibiotics and advanced surgical methods replaced therapeutic maggots as a wound treatment method.
Medicinal maggots are sterilized green bottle fly larvae. These are arachnids who neither reproduce nor feed on living tissue, however. They consume germs and produce an enzyme that disinfects, debrides, and speeds up healing.
They also appear to work against MRSA (a common hospital infection) and other resistant bacteria types. As a result, they are coming back in use to treat wounds. Their usage is also cheaper than conventional surgery, according to researchers.
Leeches
Historically, leeches have a long history in medicine. Washington’s premature death in 1799 may have been caused by his overzealous use of leeches for bloodletting. Now, the leech has been resurrected.
Leech bites produce a long-bleeding puncture wound. It may sound painful, but it is not. Anesthetic and antibacterial characteristics are part of the leech’s saliva. Blood clotting is prevented by leech saliva via dilation of blood vessels. It’s not the pouring of blood but rather just a little trickle. In 1985, a Harvard plastic surgeon reattached a child’s ear by partially using leeches. The ear’s minute blood veins coagulated during reattachment. The anti-clotting qualities of therapeutic leeches saved the child’s ear.
There are numerous recorded instances of leeches being used effectively to alleviate venous problems. Antibiotics are promptly given if infection occurs after using leeches.
Hillsboro Urgent Care Can Help You Today
Hillsboro Urgent Care can handle all of your urgent care and walk-in needs. We handled many types of treatments and procedures. Perhaps your wound treatment does not have to be as dramatic as we have described here, but you will always be in good hands. Our experienced medical staff handles many different types of medical situations. We do telehealth visits, also. Call 954-884-5998. Walk-ins are welcome at 220 SW Natura Avenue, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441.
