Development factors, signs and treatment of wound infection. Treatment methods for open wounds Healing infected wounds

If wounded (with insufficient treatment), wound infection may occur. This is due to the fact that when wounded, microbes enter the wound area, which can subsequently multiply. It also happens that an infection occurs not when a certain area of ​​the body is affected, but when it is subsequently cared for improperly - germs can be brought in from clothing or from surrounding objects (if a person walks without a bandage).

As a rule, it is possible to detect this disease a week after the infection occurs. Of course, infection in a wound does not always lead to bacteria starting to multiply. The consequence of the fact that bacteria begin to develop in the wounded area usually results in sepsis. This is a very serious disease that can occur if the patient is not provided with timely assistance.

Causes of wound infection

Typically, the pathogens that contribute to the development of severe infections are various types of bacteria or viruses. They can enter the human body if he does not follow the rules of hygiene, which must necessarily be accompanied by the use of antiseptics. It happens that tissue infection occurs during implantation of prostheses. In this case, the body cannot accept the foreign material, and suppuration begins to develop. People who do not take care of their health and eat improperly have a weakened immune system. This causes the wounds to begin to fester. Experts have found that in people who have chronic, untreatable diseases, infection occurs much more often than in those people who are completely healthy.

Symptoms of infected wounds

When a wound becomes infected, the following symptoms are possible:

• There is redness in the area where the infection occurred.
• Possible tissue swelling.
• Many patients report severe pain.
• Since the inflammatory process begins throughout the body, as a result, the patient’s body temperature rises.
• Purulent discharge at the wound site.
• Tachycardia.
• Headache, nausea.

If the above symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, as the consequences can be extremely severe.

Diagnosis of infected wounds

It is not recommended to diagnose the disease on your own; you should seek help from an experienced doctor who works in the field of surgery. First of all, the doctor will take a medical history, after which the patient will be asked to undergo a series of measures, which must include a blood test, as well as x-rays.

Treatment of infected wounds

If the disease occurs with complications, the patient will require surgical intervention. After which the doctor must prescribe medications to the patient that will act on microbes, in simpler terms, they will kill all harmful microorganisms and also relieve the inflammatory process. As a rule, these are antibiotics. If the patient is not very sick, the following measures are usually applied:

• The patient needs to provide complete rest to the organ that is infected with the infection.
• Daily dressings are required, which should be carried out using only sterile bandages.
• Ointments such as syntomycin or Vishnevsky ointment are widely used to treat infected wounds.
• Blood transfusions are often used.

Prevention of infected wounds

To implement preventive measures to avoid relapse, the patient must carefully monitor the condition of the wounds. He also needs to eat foods with a high content of nutrients in order for the body to recover as quickly as possible.

On wounding objects and the surface of the skin there are billions of different bacteria that enter the wound and infect it. Most often, the wound becomes infected with pyogenic bacteria, which cause a purulent inflammatory process, which sharply impairs wound healing and creates the danger of a general purulent infection.
The introduction and reproduction of microbes that enter the wound at the time of injury along with the wounding object is called primary infection.
Re-infection of a wound some time after injury is called secondary infection.

Secondary infection can occur when treating wounds with dirty hands, using contaminated (non-sterile) dressing material, improperly treating wounds, incorrectly applying a bandage, or during dressing. It is possible for pathogens of secondary infection to penetrate into the wound through blood vessels from a purulent focus located in another part of the body (chronic tonsillitis, purulent inflammation of soft tissues, furunculosis, sinusitis, etc.).

With extensive and deep wounds, the purulent-inflammatory process can occur so violently and quickly that the body does not have time to create a protective wall around the abscess. In such cases, microbes may penetrate the bloodstream and spread to all organs and tissues - a general purulent infection (sepsis) develops. Such a complication is dangerous and often ends in death even with the most intensive treatment.

Sepsis - a pathological condition caused by various microorganisms (staphylococci, streptococci, etc.) and their toxins that have entered the bloodstream. The clinical manifestations of sepsis are extremely varied. The most typical signs of the disease are: high body temperature (up to 40°C and above), accompanied by stunning chills and heavy sweats; a sharp deterioration in general condition - delirium, hallucinations, loss of consciousness. Characteristic symptoms include severe shortness of breath, tachycardia, and decreased blood pressure. Later, weight loss and exhaustion rapidly increase, jaundice of the skin appears, and facial features become sharper. This complication of injury is very dangerous as it often ends in death. Timely/correctly provided assistance can prevent the development of this formidable complication.

In addition to pyogenic bacteria, more dangerous microbes that can cause diseases such as tetanus and gas gangrene can enter the wound.

Tetanus.
This infectious disease often occurs when wounds are contaminated with earth, dust, manure during agricultural and transport injuries and gunshot wounds.

Early signs of tetanus are high body temperature (40-42°C), appearing 4-10 days after injury, involuntary twitching of the muscles in the wound area, pain in the stomach, abdominal muscles, difficulty swallowing, contraction of facial muscles and spasm masticatory muscles (trismus), making it impossible to open the mouth. Somewhat later, painful convulsions of all muscles (opistho tonus) occur, occurring at the slightest irritation, convulsions of the respiratory muscles and suffocation (Fig. 53). Treating tetanus is a very difficult task. It is more effective than specialized institutions, since there is no specific treatment, and symptomatic treatment often requires special equipment and experienced personnel.

An effective means of combating tetanus is specific tetanus immunization.

It is carried out by parenteral administration of tetanus toxoid adsorbed, which ensures the body's immunity to tetanus for many years, subject to revaccination with toxoid every 5-10 years.

For any injury with a violation of the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes, burns and frostbite of the second degree or more, animal bites, out-of-hospital abortions, postpartum women giving birth at home without qualified medical care must undergo emergency specific prevention of tetanus.

For persons who have previously received correct immunization, 0.5 ml of purified adsorbed toxoid is administered to prevent tetanus (active immunization), regardless of the severity of the injury. Antitetanus serum is not administered in these cases. For unvaccinated and incorrectly vaccinated people, emergency specific prevention of tetanus is carried out using the active-passive method - 1 ml of adsorbed tetanus toxoid and 3000 IU of tetanus toxoid serum (PSS). With this immunization method, it is necessary to continue vaccination. After 30-40 days, 0.5 ml of toxoid is administered. To create lasting immunity, revaccination is carried out after 10-12 months - 0.5 ml of tetanus toxoid.

Passive immunization is widely used. PSS is administered, which contains specific antibodies against tetanus. The serum creates passive short-term immunity in the body. One prophylactic dose is 3000 IU (1 ml), regardless of the age of the victim. This immunization method is less reliable. Antitetanus serum is administered after a sensitivity test. 0.1 ml of diluted PSS (1:100) is injected intradermally on the flexor surface of the forearm. The test is considered negative if after 20 minutes there is a papule with a diameter of no more than 9 mm with a small area of ​​redness. If the test is negative, 0.1 ml of undiluted PSS is administered, and if there is no reaction after 30-60 minutes, the entire dose is administered. If the intradermal test is positive, PSS is not administered.

Tetanus toxoid is not administered if no more than 6 months have passed since the first revaccination, and no more than a year after the second.

Gas gangrene.
When microbes that multiply in the absence of air (anaerobic infection) enter the wound, a severe inflammatory process develops in the wound and the tissues around it. The earliest sign of an incipient complication, usually 24-48 hours after injury, is the appearance of a feeling of fullness in the wound, which quickly turns into unbearable pain. Tissue swelling soon appears around the wound. The skin becomes cold, covered with dark spots, and the pulsation of blood vessels disappears. When the tissues in the wound area are compressed under the fingers, crepitus (crunching, creaking) is felt. This is due to the gas bubbles formed during this disease that penetrate the tissue. Body temperature quickly rises to 39-41 °C.

Treatment for gas gangrene consists of the following:

• administration of anti-gangrenous serums;
• surgical treatment - wide dissection of the tissues of the affected organ or amputation;
• local treatment with drugs that release oxygen (hydrogen peroxide).

The prognosis is always serious.

Most often, gas gangrene, sepsis, and tetanus develop with extensive wounds with the presence of crushed non-viable tissue in the wound, which serves as a good breeding ground for microorganisms. Favorable factors for the proliferation of microbes are exhaustion of the patient, cooling, etc. Sometimes a few hours are enough for the development of these severe complications. Hence the importance of prompt delivery of the wounded to the hospital for the provision of timely medical care and the introduction of specific antitetanus and antigangrenosis serums.

The main measure to prevent wound infection is to perform surgery as soon as possible - primary surgical treatment of the wound. This operation should be performed within the first 6 hours from the moment of injury.

Primary surgical treatment.

By primary intention, i.e. without suppuration, Only incised and surgical wounds inflicted under aseptic conditions heal.
All accidental wounds are infected and heal without surgery secondary intention, i.e. with suppuration, slow rejection of dead tissue, gradual filling of the wound with granulations and subsequent scarring.

A surgical intervention in which the edges of the wound are excised throughout the entire canal is called primary surgical treatment. During this operation, infected and crushed tissues and foreign bodies are excised and removed, the bleeding is completely stopped, followed by layer-by-layer suturing of the wound. Primary surgical treatment of the wound, carried out in the first hours after injury, allows in a significant number of cases to achieve wound healing by primary intention. This treatment is the best prevention of sepsis, gas gangrene and tetanus.

Wounds begin to fester when pathogenic organisms enter them from the external environment. They end up there immediately after an injury, if it is caused by a dirty object (primary infection) or get inside as a result of violation of the rules of dressing and treatment (secondary infection).

The infectious process leads to inflammation and pain, interferes with normal tissue healing and can spread further, leading to intoxication of the body and sepsis. It is important to recognize the signs of infection in time and eliminate it as soon as possible. In this article we will talk about the treatment of purulent wounds at different stages of the inflammatory process.

Shulepin Ivan Vladimirovich, traumatologist-orthopedist, highest qualification category

Total work experience over 25 years. In 1994 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Medical and Social Rehabilitation, in 1997 he completed a residency in the specialty “Traumatology and Orthopedics” at the Central Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics named after. N.N. Prifova.

Pathogenic microorganisms easily enter an open wound, but our body has its own defense mechanisms against infection, so the inflammatory process does not always develop. Usually the damage heals successfully, but there are factors that push it to fester. They are conventionally divided into three groups: those related to the wound, the body as a whole, and external conditions.

Wound characteristics that complicate healing:

• Initial contamination, foreign elements in the wound cavity;
• Deep, convoluted wound channel, cavities under the skin with a narrow exit to the outside (there is a risk of infection with anaerobic bacteria, exudate does not drain well and accumulates inside);
• Formed hematoma (blood is an excellent medium for the proliferation of pathogenic microflora).

Body characteristics:

• Immunodeficiency conditions, congenital and acquired;
• Chronic vascular diseases, diabetes mellitus;
• Exhaustion of the body due to illness, poor nutrition;
• Children's and old age

Unfavorable external conditions:

• Improper wound treatment or lack thereof;
• Being in unsanitary conditions (dirt, high humidity).

So, you should be especially attentive to complex wounds, contaminated or irregularly shaped, and take into account the general condition of the body in order to prevent negative reactions.

Signs of inflammation

They are also divided into two groups: local and systemic.

Note that the infection does not remain local for long - only 6-9 hours.

Pathogenic microorganisms and toxic products of their vital activity spread with the lymph flow, causing a reaction throughout the body.

The first signs of inflammation:

• The skin at the site of injury becomes hot;
• Redness occurs around the wound;
• Edema and swelling form along the edge;
• An aching, throbbing pain is felt, which intensifies when you press the edge of the wound with your finger.

As the infection spreads through the lymph flow, general symptoms develop:

• increased body temperature;
• weakness and lethargy;
• increased heart rate;
• leukocytosis;
• enlargement and tenderness of the lymph nodes closest to the wound.

When infected with pathogenic microorganisms, pus appears at the site of the lesion. At first it is liquid and flows out of the wound, then it thickens. Pus has an unpleasant odor, the shade depends on the nature of the microflora. It is usually yellowish or greenish.

When inflammation becomes chronic, a purulent focus with granulation tissue along the edge is formed - an abscess (abscess). If the wound breaks, the help of a surgeon is required to open the abscess.

Wound treatment methods at different stages

Treatment of infected wounds is divided into local and systemic.

Please note that systemic drug treatment is prescribed only by a doctor.

This includes detoxification therapy, taking antibiotics, immunomodulating drugs, vitamins, etc.

Local treatment is organized according to the phases of the wound process. At each stage, different techniques and medications are used.

Treatment in the inflammatory phase

In the inflammation phase, the wound “gets wet” - liquid exudate is released, later pus appears, and part of the tissue dies. When treating such a wound in a hospital, the surgeon washes it with an antiseptic, removes pus and necrotic tissue, installs drainage to drain exudate, and applies a sterile bandage soaked in the same antiseptic solution. The dressing is changed every 5-6 hours, the wound is re-treated daily until granulation begins.

Surgical wounds that have festered during treatment are washed, the sutures are removed, and the edges are pulled apart.

At home, small inflamed wounds on the arm or leg are dealt with in the same way: washed, cleaned of pus, applied with a napkin soaked in an antiseptic, and wrapped with a sterile bandage.

Ointments are not used at this stage - they prevent the outflow of fluid.

Typically, water-soluble gel and ointment preparations are added on day 3.

The dried bandage is pre-soaked. After washing, the ointments are applied to a sterile napkin and wrapped with a bandage.

Used for treating necrotic wounds proteolytic enzymes, which dissolve dead tissue and reduce inflammation (chymopsin, chymotrypsin, trypsin). They are used in the form of powders or solutions. To quickly remove purulent discharge, a sorbent (polyphepan, celosorb) is placed in the wound.

Today, in hospital settings, new, progressive methods cleaning wounds:

• laser processing;
• vacuum removal of pus;
• ultrasonic cavitation;
• cryotherapy;
• pulsating jet treatment, etc.

Laser treatment of wounds

Treatment in the granulation (proliferation) phase

During this period, the inflammation gradually subsides, the wound is cleared of necrotic tissue and pus, and the amount of discharge decreases. The drainage is removed, and absorbent dressings and rinsing are no longer needed. If required, at this stage the surgeon applies secondary sutures, or the edges of the wound are closed with adhesive tape.

Join the treatment ointments with anti-inflammatory, regeneration-stimulating and antibacterial properties.

Treatment in the epithelization phase

At this stage, the wound heals, new thin epithelial tissue appears, and a scar is formed. The wound is protected from damage, used emollient and regeneration-stimulating ointments and creams, preventing the formation of a rough tightening scar.

Review of wound treatment products

Today, pharmacies offer many drugs for the treatment of wounds. Let's look at the most frequently used ones.

Wash solutions:

• boric acid 3%;
• chlorhexidine 0.02%;
• dioxidine 1%;
• miramistin;
• furatsilin, etc.

Antibacterial gels and ointments on a water-soluble basis:

• Levosin;
• Solcoseryl gel;
• Levomekol;
• Dioxidine;
• Methyluracil with miramistin.

These drugs accelerate the cleansing of the wound from dead parts and pus, destroy pathogenic microorganisms, and stimulate granulation. They are applied in a thin layer once a day, placed in the wound with a sterile napkin or inserted into the drainage.

Antibiotic ointments:

• Gentamicin;
• Syntomycin.

These are inexpensive bactericidal drugs with a wide spectrum of action for the treatment of non-healing wounds, abscesses, and ulcers.

Ointments with regenerating and anti-inflammatory properties:

• Solcoseryl;
• Actovegin

They improve metabolism and cellular metabolism, accelerate epithelization, reduce inflammation, and create a protective film on the surface.

Complex action drugs:

• Oxycyclosol (aerosol containing oxytetracycline and prednisolone);
• Oxycort and Hyoxysone (aerosol and ointment with oxytetracycline and hydrocortisone)

Scar creams:

• Contractubex;
• Dermatix;
• Zeraderm.

Traditional methods of treatment

Minor inflamed cuts and scratches can be treated at home; folk remedies are often used for this.

A hypertonic saline solution (sodium chloride 10%) is suitable for rinsing at the first stage. It can be made at home by adding 90 g of salt to a liter of clean water and straining through sterile gauze. The product draws back and adsorbs exudate without damaging surrounding tissue.

They are also used for this purpose decoctions of chamomile and calendula. A tablespoon of raw material is poured into a glass of water, heated in a water bath for 15 minutes, and filtered thoroughly. Wash the wounds twice a day.

An aloe leaf from an adult plant (at least 2-3 years old) is used as a regenerating and anti-inflammatory agent. It is cut off and placed in the refrigerator for a day. Then they cut it in half lengthwise and tie the inside to the wound.

At the healing stage, mumiyo is used to prevent the formation of a rough scar. 1.5 g of this substance is dissolved in 50 ml of warm water and mixed with a tube of baby cream. Apply once a day. Helps and sea ​​buckthorn oil, it simultaneously softens the skin and stimulates healing.

Remember that traditional methods are applicable only for minor injuries or as an addition to traditional therapy.

Prevention of suppuration

To avoid long-term treatment, you should initially wash and treat all injuries, even minor ones, with an antiseptic. If your doctor has prescribed a wound care procedure, you must follow it and use the prescribed medications. Before dressing, wash your hands thoroughly, use sterile gauze wipes and bandages.

Skin damage due to diabetes and peripheral circulatory disorders does not heal well. In this case, it is recommended to protect yourself from injuries, and if you receive them, seek help from a traumatologist.

Conclusion

If the wound becomes inflamed or festered, action must be taken immediately. If your condition worsens or symptoms of intoxication appear, seek medical help. The range of treatments is extensive, but it is important to apply them in order and following the instructions, then the wound will heal quickly and without a trace.

If the wound is not serious, you can treat it yourself at home. How to do this correctly?

Treatment should be aimed at rapid and smooth healing of the wound and restoration of function of the limb or organ.

When treating wounds, surgical (operative), chemical, physical and biological methods are used. The choice of method depends on the presence of a fresh or infected (inflamed) wound.

Treatment of fresh wounds

Back in 1836, A. Charukovsky recommended “leveling and bringing together the edges of the wound so that the cut muscles, nerves, blood vessels and especially the skin evenly adjoin each other with separated ends.” He further recommended “turning a bruised wound into a cut wound and treating it quickly.”

Friedrich (1898) in an experiment on animals established the optimal time for excision of a wound to be 6-8 hours after its application. The method of wound excision was based on the principle of “outrunning infection using the surgeon’s knife.”

The stated provisions were subsequently further developed. The method of surgical (operative) treatment has been improved. The need for wide dissection of the wound, excision of non-viable tissue and the advisability of suturing were proven, i.e. a method of surgical treatment of the wound was developed.

There are:

1. early surgical treatment of the wound in the first 6 hours;
2. delayed surgical treatment of the wound - up to 24 hours;
3. late treatment of the wound, performed in wounded patients who did not receive antibiotics, after 24 hours, and in those receiving antibiotics - after 48 hours.

Primary surgical treatment of a wound means performing wound care, anesthesia and five technical techniques of the operation itself:

1. wound dissection;
2. excision of non-viable tissue;
3. removal of loose metal and other foreign bodies from the wound;
4. stopping bleeding;
5. draining the wound or applying sutures.

Wound toileting is performed for any injury. Using a gauze ball moistened with ether or, better yet, first with gasoline, clean the skin around the wound from dirt and foreign particles, lubricate the edges of the wound with iodonate, iodopirone, it is advisable to treat the wound itself with a 1-2% solution of hydrogen peroxide, and then apply an aseptic bandage.

Depending on the severity of the injury, local or general anesthesia is performed and surgical treatment of the wound is performed.

At the end of the operation, the issue of leaving the wound open or the possibility of suturing is decided.

Primary sutures can be applied if the following conditions are met:

1. absence of visible contamination of the wound (especially with soil) and inflammatory phenomena before surgical treatment;
2. the possibility of radical excision of dead tissue and removal of foreign bodies;
3. integrity of great vessels and nerve trunks;
4. the ability to bring the edges of the wound closer together without tension;
5. satisfactory general condition of the patient;
6. the possibility of leaving the wounded under the supervision of a surgeon until the stitches are removed.

If primary sutures were not used, then in the absence of signs of development of wound infection and foci of secondary necrosis, as well as the satisfactory general condition of the victim, delayed primary sutures should be applied 2-4 days after the initial surgical treatment.

In cases where the wound has not undergone primary surgical treatment or if the treatment was of poor quality and the wound heals by secondary intention, it is sometimes useful to resort to secondary surgical treatment.

There are early secondary sutures, which are applied to a granulating wound in a period of 7 to 20 days, and late secondary sutures - they are applied to a scarring wound (in a period of 20 days or later after injury).

For wound healing, good drainage is of great importance. Drainages are used:

1. open. Rubber strips and tubes are used as drainage;
2. closed - with hermetically sealed wounds and cavities using suction systems (Rieden, Subbotin method, etc.);
3. flushing drains for long-term irrigation of the wound with a weak antiseptic solution.

Treatment of infected wounds

Local treatment of purulent wounds should be aimed at reducing pain, suppressing microflora, weakening the inflammatory process, and ensuring the outflow of inflammatory exudate. When indicated, general therapeutic measures are carried out.

The use of various therapeutic agents should be strictly selective depending on the phase of the wound process.

I. In the inflammation phase, provide:

1. rest the diseased organ (immobilization, rare dressings);
2. the use of antiseptics, both locally and orally or intramuscularly;
3. increasing tissue hyperemia by applying bandages with hypertonic sodium chloride solution (5-10%);
4. activation of the body’s immunological reactions;
5. reducing purulent intoxication by creating a good outflow of wound exudate and a general effect on the body (infusion of blood and blood-substituting solutions);
6. careful treatment of the wound during dressings, since injury to its walls breaks the protective barrier and contributes to the breakthrough of infection into the internal environment of the body;
7. use of proteolytic enzymes.

II. In the phase of regeneration and epithelization, which is characterized by the subsidence of the inflammatory reaction, the weakening of the virulence of the infection, the reduction of the vascular reaction and exudation, the cleansing of the wound from dead tissue and the development of regeneration processes (growth of granulations), therapeutic measures should be aimed at strengthening these processes and protecting the wound from damage. It is necessary to widely use bandages with indifferent ointments and carry out restorative therapy.

Despite the use of all known means of general action on the body and locally on the wound, in some cases local and general complications arise, seriously complicating treatment and even ending in death.

Thus, wound treatment appears to be a rather complex problem. The success of a quick cure largely depends on timely and complete pre-medical care and quickly performed primary surgical treatment of a fresh wound.

Treatment of infected and complicated wounds requires great efforts of surgical personnel and the use of all the capabilities of the surgical method, chemical and biological agents.

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Infection of the wound surface is a complication of the healing process. Wound infection occurs as a result of the penetration and proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms in the injury cavity.

Causes of infected wounds

The source of infection for accidental wounds is primary contamination with microbes. Surgical wound surfaces are often contaminated endogenously (by microbes from the internal environment of the human body) or become secondarily infected by nosocomial infections.

The most common source of infection of traumatic injuries is staphylococcus. Sometimes the causative agent is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus or anaerobic infection.

If the patient is in a hospital, then after some time the microflora of the surface changes, gram-negative bacteria appear in it, which predominate over other species. They are resistant to antibiotics and cause secondary infection of any injuries (accidental and surgical).

Factors that predispose to infection:

• Foreign bodies;
• Presence of blood clots and blood clots;
• Necrotic foci;
• Significance of damage in depth;
• The presence of additional side passages or blind pockets.

Illiterate transportation and poor immobilization have an impact on the spread of infection.. This becomes an additional source of injury to soft tissues, the condition of the injury worsens, microcirculation is disrupted, as a result of which the hematoma increases in size and the necrotic zone expands.

The general well-being of the victim is of great importance for the development of infection. With decreased immunity, physical and mental exhaustion, and exposure to radiation, the risk of developing a wound infection increases.

Some chronic somatic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cirrhosis, malignant tumors reduce the body's resistance. In addition, there is a weakening of the body’s defenses when taking large doses of immunosuppressants, steroid hormones, and antibiotics.

Signs of infection

The main sign of a wound infection is its suppuration, most often this occurs 3-7 days after injury or surgery. Suppuration of the injury site is characterized by local and general symptoms.

Local symptoms of an infected wound:

• Pain in and near the damaged area;
• Redness and swelling appear in the area of ​​the lesion;
• The edges of the surface diverge;
• Serous or purulent contents appear;
• Local temperature rises.

The pain in the area of ​​injury is constant, at first the pain is pressing, then it begins to pulsate and twitch.

Painful sensations are significantly reduced after treatment of the injury, drainage, or in situations where spontaneous breakthrough of purulent exudate occurs.

General symptoms of infection:

• General weakness, loss of appetite;
• Chills, tachycardia;
• Soreness, muscle pain, dry mouth;
• Body temperature rises.

The nature of the fever during infection in the wound is hectic, that is, in the evening the temperature rises to 38 degrees and above, and in the morning the numbers are normal or subfebrile.

In the blood test, inflammatory changes are observed: the ESR increases, the number of leukocytes increases, the leukocyte formula shifts to the left.

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If local changes do not correspond to a severe general condition, the presence of a purulent focus in another location or a generalized infection in the form of sepsis is assumed.

Treatment of infected wounds

Therapeutic measures for wound infections should be aimed at clearing the surface of non-viable and necrotic tissue, eliminating swelling, restoring microcirculation, and suppressing the pathogen. For this purpose, surgical and conservative treatment methods are used.

Surgical treatment consists of secondary surgical treatment, drainage, and suturing.

Treatment of an infected wound is carried out on days 4-5, since during this period secondary necrosis completes its formation.

Surgical treatment consists of dissection of the injury and excision of necrotic tissue. During surgical treatment of wounds, it is recommended to use general anesthesia, especially for extensive purulent injuries, since local anesthesia is not enough to remove all non-viable tissue, perform drainage or apply sutures.

Drainage is done to ensure the outflow of serous exudate and pus. Drainage helps clean the wound and also deprives pathogenic flora of a nutrient medium.

Treatment for a wet surface is as follows:

• Change the dressing as soon as it gets wet, after 5-6 hours;
• Treatment of the wound with furatsilin, Furazol spray;
• Application of 10% sodium chloride solution, 4% sodium bicarbonate, 3% boric acid;
• Use of liquid antiseptics: Miramistin, Miramidez, Betadine, Octenisept, Iodinol.

Fudizin gel, streptocidal, zinc ointment, sulfonamide antimicrobial ointments (Mafenide, Streptonitol), Solcoseryl gel are used under the dressing.

Procedure for treating a purulent wound:

• Avoid accumulation of purulent exudate and remove it regularly;
• Use Trypsin, Terrylitin, Himopsin powders, Profezim suspension;
• The powders are mixed with novocaine and sodium chloride, sterile napkins are impregnated with it, which are placed into the wound cavity;
• For deep wounds, powders are used dry;
• To combat pathogenic bacteria, antibiotics are used orally, intramuscularly or intravenously;
• They use ointments that act on bacteria.

Ointments are used under a bandage, water-based liniments are applied, such as Levosin, Levomikol, Sintomycin, Baneocin, Nitacid, Solcoseryl.

Oil-based ointments or Vaseline are rarely used. In a hospital setting, patients undergo detoxification and immunotherapy, and are also treated with liquid nitrogen, ultrasound or HBOT. You will learn further about how you can treat an infected wound at home.

Folk remedies

If the victim is at home, then treatment is reduced to regularly cleaning the wound surface from dirt and pus, as well as treating the edges of the wound. You can disinfect and clean the wound using a decoction or tincture.

Treatment at home is possible only if the wound is small and there are no somatic diseases. If you are allergic to a home remedy or if the infection gets deeper, you should consult a doctor.

When treating a damaged area, you should clean only its edges, wash off pus, dried blood, ichor, and pieces of dirt.

Liquid wound treatment products:

• Mix aloe and cranberry juice in equal quantities;
• Juice from young lilac leaves;
• Tincture of nettle, calendula, chamomile, lilac, plantain;
• Decoction and infusion of chamomile, string, celandine.

To treat infected wounds, bandage using the following means:

If the wound does not heal for a long time, but does not have pus, you can apply clean lead paper (in which tea is packaged) and bandage it, the surface will quickly heal.

Infected skin wounds can be directly covered with fine nettle powder. Before this, you need to steep the stems and leaves in alcohol or vodka for 5 days, then remove them from the alcohol solution, dry them and grind them into powder. With this product you can treat the injury every day without using bandages.

How dangerous is an infected injury?

Sometimes the wound becomes infected with pyogenic bacteria, which lead to purulent inflammation. Microorganisms can penetrate the lymph nodes, they become painful and increase in size.

If anaerobic microorganisms enter the wound, a gas infection develops. This disease is characterized by tissue necrosis, not only in the wound itself, but also in healthy surrounding tissues. The condition of the patients worsens, the injury dries out, the skin becomes covered with blisters with bloody exudate, the muscles become gray, the limb turns pale, and later acquires a bluish tint. In this case, patients require urgent surgery.

When pathogenic microorganisms enter the vascular bed of an infected wound, sepsis develops and is often fatal.

Another type of anaerobes can enter the wound in the form of tetanus. In this case, a few days after the injury, the patient experiences a convulsive contraction of first the masticatory, and then the occipital and spinal muscles. Soon the cramps spread to all muscles, including the respiratory ones. Death occurs from paralysis of the respiratory center.

Correctly provided first aid is of great importance as preventive measures. and primary surgical treatment of the wound with removal of blood clots, necrotic areas, and foreign bodies. Antibiotics are used to prevent the development of purulent infection.