Thursday, September 13, 2018

When Does Wound Irrigation Occur

By Melissa Stewart


Accidents and moments of trauma are not only life threatening, but can also be scary. The real presence of fear comes along with a wound starts to develop. Injuries that are left untreated can sometimes result in something catastrophic occurring. Wound irrigation may mean the difference between life and death.

What child has not had the experience of playing in the water when the sprinklers were turned on. Though a child might believe that this summertime fun was tailor-made for them; it really was not. The greater purpose was to have a irrigation system that turned the grass green and kept it healthy.

The process of wound irrigation occurs with the flushing of a wound with a flow of liquid. It is used to flush out debris, irritants, and dead tissue. This helps in keeping the wound hydrated which influences the healing process. It resembles that of an irrigation system.

Medical irrigation is most successful when the pressure is high enough to clean the wound without damaging it even more. The pressure is measured by pounds per square inch known as psi. Scientist that have performed experiments dealing with pressure have found that in order for this to be effective, a psi between 5 and 15 should be used. This will be effective in removing dead skin and other elements. However, if a wound is chronic, the key is finding the lowest pressure that will have the same outcome.

Ulcers look like open wounds and are a great demonstration of when it would be good to use medical irrigation. They resemble that of open sores that are infested with tissue that is dead. If one were to perform this medical irrigation, it would speed up the healing of the ulcer.

Now, one may wonder what would be the best liquids to use to aid in the healing process. One would definitely be water because it is a lot more accessible and incredible easy to use. Normal saline is another fluid that is commonly used because it has very few side effects. The healing process is preserved and its osmotic pressure equates to that of bodily fluids. Hydrogen Peroxide is sometimes used because it not only flushes the wound but also kills all types of bacteria and germs. Using this fluid has caused some controversy because evidence concludes that using it too much may slow down the healing process.

There are steps that should take place before starting the flushing of the wound. The individual performing the procedure must wash and sanitize their hands. Be careful to read the orders that the doctor has specified, as well as verify the patients identity. Check and see if the person is allergic to anything. Then proceed in laying out the proper equipment.

When it comes to cleaning the infected area, the tools usually are made up of syringe or tool similar to that in which a dentist would use when cleansing teeth. Now the size of the syringe depends upon how large the wound is. The streams used to flush the injury can be intermittent or continual. The time it takes to administer the flush depends again upon the size of the wound.




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