Wound Disinfection - Disinfection
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Wound disinfection is a very important tool to prevent potentially pathogenic microorganisms from entering the body and sometimes even causing serious damage.
In fact, the skin acts as a real barrier to these pathogenic microorganisms, but if it is damaged and damaged, its protective effect is less and it exposes the individual to the risk of infection of various types.
Wound Types
In order to properly treat a wound, it is important to be able to determine the severity of the injury and to act accordingly.
Depending on the severity of the wound, we can distinguish:
When superficial wounds contain only superficial layers of the skin, such as in the case of abrasions and small cuts;
Deep wounds when tears also affect the lower layers of the skin;
Penetrating wounds, lacerations are so deep that they damage the internal organs.
Superficial wounds can be treated at the local level, taking appropriate measures and precautions.
However, when it comes to deep and penetrating wounds, it is necessary to consult a doctor or go to the nearest emergency room where the injured patient will receive all necessary care. In fact, such wounds - in addition to the potential risk of infection - can also result in significant blood loss that can damage vital structures or organs. Therefore, the intervention of specialized personnel is absolutely essential in such cases.
Another classification of wounds can be made according to the object that causes them and determines their appearance. In this case, we can therefore distinguish:
Point wounds;
Discontinuation of injuries;
Torn wounds.
In turn, these wounds can be distinguished as superficial, deep or penetrating.
How to Disinfect a Wound
In order to eliminate the risk of infection and ensure correct healing, wound disinfection should be performed with care and with appropriate products.
As noted, in deep and penetrating wounds, some signs of disinfection of only superficial wounds such as abrasion, abrasions, cuts or minor tears will be given, as the intervention of specialist personnel should be required.
First of all, the first thing to do is to worry about cleaning the wound from foreign objects that may enter the wound; After that, you can continue the actual disinfection process.
For the correct treatment of superficial wounds, the following indications are recommended:
It is very important to wash your hands thoroughly and possibly wear latex gloves or suitable material before any operation on the wound.
Clean the wound and, depending on what caused the injury and how it happened, remove any foreign objects, such as soil debris or splinters of wood or other material.
Foreign bodies can be removed by exposing the wound directly to a jet of drinking water, or tweezers can be used provided that it has previously been sterilized.
The wound can only be cleaned by washing with drinking water.
Disinfect the wound area with the aid of antiseptics for disinfection of intact skin, such as preparations based on ethyl alcohol or propyl alcohol.
Disinfect the wound using antiseptics for disinfection of damaged skin, such as hydrogen peroxide, iodopovidone (Betadine®) or chlorhexidine (Clorexane® 0.5% cutaneous solution).
In addition to the effect of hydrogen peroxide, a disinfectant - thanks to the natural "effervescence" that develops after contact with the skin - could not be removed with water, which can also be useful for removing foreign bodies or dirt particles with deep and normal cleaning.
After the wound disinfection procedure is completed, it may be covered with sterile and hypoallergenic bandages or gauze, if necessary to protect it from the external environment.
Useful advice and information
Below you will find some useful information and some tips to follow during and after the wound disinfection procedure; thus, an optimal recovery is allowed and any complications can be prevented or identified immediately.
When cleaning and disinfecting wounds, it is recommended that you use sterile gauze and do not use cotton wool instead. In fact, the latter can release small fibers within the wound. It is not a coincidence that cotton wool is used above all for disinfection of intact skin (eg before injection).
Regardless of the type of antiseptic used, it is good to keep in mind that disinfectant action is not immediate, but is performed within a few minutes.
Antiseptics - if not properly stored or if packages remain open for too long - may lose their effectiveness, in whole or in part; therefore, caution should be used.
However, although it appears superficial, it is necessary to observe how the healing process of the wound develops, so as to ensure that it occurs correctly and that no infection of any kind has developed. In fact, if the lesion does not heal after a few days, causes pain or burning, or if you notice edema and redness, there may be an ongoing infection. In this case, it is good to contact your doctor immediately, who will take all appropriate measures.
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