Abscess
A localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue, often caused by bacterial infection. Abscesses may require drainage before wound healing can occur.
Acute Wound
A wound that progresses through the normal stages of healing in a predictable and timely manner, typically resolving within 30 days. Examples include surgical incisions and minor lacerations.
Angiogenesis
The formation of new blood vessels from existing ones. Angiogenesis is a critical step in wound healing, restoring oxygen and nutrient delivery to damaged tissue.
Antimicrobial Dressing
A wound dressing containing agents such as silver, iodine, or honey designed to reduce or prevent bacterial colonization and infection in the wound bed.
Arterial Ulcer
A wound caused by poor arterial blood flow (peripheral arterial disease), resulting in inadequate oxygen delivery to the tissue. Often found on the lower leg, ankle, or foot; typically painful with a dry, pale wound bed.
Autolytic Debridement
A gentle, natural debridement method that uses the body's own enzymes and moisture to soften and liquefy dead tissue. Achieved by maintaining a moist wound environment with appropriate dressings.
Biofilm
A complex community of bacteria encased in a protective matrix that adheres to the wound surface. Biofilms are highly resistant to antibiotics and are a major cause of chronic wound stagnation.
Biological Debridement
The use of sterile medical-grade maggots (larvae) to remove necrotic tissue from a wound. The larvae secrete enzymes that liquefy dead tissue while leaving healthy tissue intact.
Burn Wound
Tissue injury caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, or radiation. Burns are classified by depth: superficial (first-degree), partial-thickness (second-degree), or full-thickness (third/fourth-degree).
Callus
A thickened area of skin caused by repeated friction or pressure. In diabetic patients, calluses under the foot can mask underlying ulceration and increase the risk of serious wounds.
Cellular Tissue Products (CTPs)
Advanced wound care products derived from human or animal tissues that provide a scaffold or cellular matrix to support wound healing. Often referred to as 'skin substitutes' or 'bioengineered skin.'
Chronic Wound
A wound that fails to progress through the normal healing stages and does not heal within approximately 30 days. Chronic wounds often require specialized, ongoing care to address underlying causes.
Collagen
The primary structural protein in skin and connective tissue. Collagen plays a central role in wound healing by providing a framework for new tissue formation and is a key ingredient in many advanced wound dressings.
Compression Therapy
The application of sustained, graduated pressure to the lower leg using bandages, wraps, or stockings to reduce edema and improve venous blood return. It is the cornerstone of treatment for venous leg ulcers.
Debridement
The medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue from a wound to expose healthy tissue and promote healing. Methods include sharp/surgical, mechanical, enzymatic, autolytic, and biological debridement.
Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU)
An open sore or wound on the foot of a person with diabetes, most commonly caused by neuropathy (loss of sensation) and/or peripheral arterial disease. DFUs are a leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations.
Edema
Swelling caused by an abnormal accumulation of fluid in body tissues. Edema in the lower extremities is a common cause or complicating factor in venous ulcers and other chronic leg wounds.
Enzymatic Debridement
The use of topical pharmaceutical preparations containing enzymes (such as collagenase) to selectively break down and remove necrotic tissue from a wound bed.
Eschar
Dry, dark, leathery dead tissue (necrosis) that forms over a wound. Eschar must often be removed through debridement to allow healing to proceed, unless on a stable heel wound where removal may be contraindicated.
Exudate
Fluid that seeps from a wound. The amount, color, consistency, and odor of exudate provide important clues about wound health. Excessive or abnormal exudate may indicate infection or stalled healing.
Fibroblast
A type of cell found in connective tissue that produces collagen and other structural proteins. Fibroblasts are critical during the proliferative phase of wound healing, rebuilding the wound's structural framework.
Granulation Tissue
New connective tissue and tiny blood vessels that form on the surface of a healing wound. Healthy granulation tissue is moist, red or pink, and has a 'bumpy' texture; its appearance is a positive sign of healing progress.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
A treatment in which a patient breathes 100% pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. The elevated oxygen levels enhance the body's natural healing processes, fight infection, and stimulate the growth of new blood vessels.
Ischemia
Inadequate blood supply to a tissue or organ, leading to oxygen and nutrient deprivation. Ischemia in the lower extremities is a primary driver of arterial ulcers and can severely impair wound healing.
Maceration
The softening and deterioration of skin caused by prolonged exposure to moisture. Macerated skin (appearing white, soggy, or wrinkled) around a wound edge is often caused by excessive exudate and can expand the wound.
Mechanical Debridement
The physical removal of necrotic tissue from a wound using methods such as wet-to-dry dressings, wound irrigation, or hydrotherapy (pulsed lavage). It is non-selective and may remove some healthy tissue as well.
Mohs Wound
An open wound remaining after Mohs micrographic surgery, a precise technique for removing skin cancer. These wounds may be left to heal by secondary intention or require specialized wound care.
Moisture-Retentive Dressing
A dressing designed to maintain a moist wound environment, which promotes faster healing, reduces pain during dressing changes, and supports autolytic debridement. Includes hydrocolloids, foams, hydrogels, and film dressings.
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT)
Also called 'wound VAC' therapy, a treatment that applies controlled sub-atmospheric (negative) pressure to a wound via a sealed foam dressing and drainage tube. NPWT removes excess fluid, reduces swelling, and promotes granulation tissue formation.
Neuropathy
Damage to peripheral nerves, most commonly associated with diabetes, that results in loss of sensation, particularly in the feet. Neuropathy is a major risk factor for diabetic foot ulcers because patients cannot feel injury or pain.
Osteomyelitis
An infection of the bone. In the context of wound care, osteomyelitis most often occurs as a complication of a deep wound or diabetic foot ulcer where bacteria have spread to the underlying bone. It requires aggressive treatment.
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
A circulatory condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs, most commonly the legs. PAD is a major cause of arterial ulcers and can significantly impair the body's ability to heal wounds.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Dysfunction of the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. In wound care, it most often refers to diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which causes numbness and loss of protective sensation in the feet.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
A concentration of a patient's own platelets derived from a blood sample that is injected or applied to a wound. Platelets release growth factors that stimulate tissue repair, cell growth, and the formation of new blood vessels.
Pressure Injury (Pressure Ulcer)
Localized damage to the skin and underlying soft tissue, usually over a bony prominence, resulting from prolonged pressure or pressure combined with shear. Staged from Stage 1 (intact skin) through Stage 4 (full-thickness tissue loss).
Proliferative Phase
The third phase of wound healing (following hemostasis and inflammation) during which new tissue is built. Key processes include granulation tissue formation, angiogenesis, and contraction of the wound edges.
Radiation Injury
Damage to skin and soft tissues caused by exposure to ionizing radiation, often as a side effect of cancer treatment. Radiation wounds can be particularly challenging to heal due to damage to blood vessels and reduced tissue oxygenation.
Remodeling Phase
The final phase of wound healing, during which collagen is reorganized and cross-linked to strengthen the scar. This phase can last for months to years after wound closure.
Sharp Debridement
The use of sterile surgical instruments such as scalpels, scissors, or curettes to selectively remove necrotic tissue, slough, or callus from a wound bed. It is the fastest and most precise method of debridement.
Slough
Soft, moist, devitalized (dead) tissue found in a wound bed, often appearing yellow, tan, grey, or green. Slough must be removed through debridement as its presence impairs wound assessment and healing.
Surgical Wound
A wound created intentionally during a surgical procedure. Surgical wounds may be closed primarily (sutured), left open to heal by secondary intention, or closed after a delay (tertiary intention) depending on the risk of infection.
Tunneling
A channel or passageway extending from the wound into the surrounding tissue. Tunneling can harbor bacteria and must be carefully assessed and packed during wound care to prevent abscess formation.
Undermining
The presence of a pocket of tissue destruction that extends under the wound edges, causing the wound to be larger beneath the skin surface than it appears on the surface. Like tunneling, it must be carefully documented and treated.
Venous Leg Ulcer
A chronic wound on the lower leg caused by venous insufficiency, where blood pools in the veins and increases pressure in the capillaries. They are typically located above the ankle, are shallow, and produce significant exudate.
Wound Bed Preparation
A systematic approach to managing chronic wounds that addresses the barriers to healing. Often described by the TIME framework: Tissue (removing necrotic tissue), Infection/inflammation, Moisture balance, and wound Edge advancement.
Wound Culture
A laboratory test in which a sample of fluid or tissue from a wound is analyzed to identify the type of microorganism causing an infection and determine which antibiotics will be most effective against it.
Wound VAC
See Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT). A colloquial name for the device used in NPWT, standing for Vacuum-Assisted Closure.