Wound Debridment

5 Pages 1281 Words

Debridement is the removal of devitalised or contaminated tissue from, or adjacent to, a traumatic or infected lesion, until surrounding healthy tissue is exposed (Vowden & Vowden, 1999).
Failure to debride will delay healing. Removal of dead tissue must be achieved in the shortest possible time, thus improving comfort and quality of life (Hampton, 1998). Also debridement of wounds is an important skill, particularly as toxins from these wounds contribute to morbidity and death. The presence of slough inhibits the migration of epithelial cells across the wound and predisposes the wound to infection (Vowden & Vowden, 1999).
Vowden and Vowden (1999) contend that debridement is crucial to optimal wound healing and may be the most effective method available to stimulate wound healing. Nurses involved in debridement need to have a thorough knowledge of wound care, experience and clear documentation in order to provide excellent practice. Practitioners must be able to identify and describe the rationale for each type of debridement and understand the impact of these on the wound as well as being able to assess the cost effectiveness of each treatment modality. Bale (1997) agrees and states that success of the treatment depends on the skill, ability and knowledge of the practitioner to select the appropriate method for each wound and to apply it correctly.
This article will look at the non-sharp methods of wound debridement available and try to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment modality.
Enzymatic debridement
Enzymatic debridement involves the use of proteolytic enzymes. These enzymes are said to digest Slough and necrosis whilst leaving healthy tissue intact (Bale, 1997). It works by breaking down fibrin, denatured collagen and elastin.
The most commonly used enzymatic dressing is Varidase, which is a combination of both streptokinase and streptodornase. Streptokinase is a fibrinolytic substance commonly u...