The main characteristic and classification of wounds

classification of wounds and their characteristics
Wounds are called mechanical damage to the skin, as well as the tissues and internal organs located beneath it. Of course, each of us is familiar with this phenomenon. Who in childhood did not receive bruises and abrasions? Who did not apply a plantain leaf to a random scratch? What child did not have torn knees, forever smeared with green? Then we could not imagine that wounds are a complex subject of medical science research , which has absorbed a huge number of their varieties. There is even a whole classification of wounds. They are distinguished by the nature of the damage, by the presence of microbial flora, by the presence of complicating factors. In order to understand this issue, we should talk more about the views of modern medicine on the nature of wounds.

What are the classification of wounds and their characteristics?

Human wounds can vary greatly in many ways. For example, we can compare the operational wound and the stab wound received in a street fight. It is clear that the characteristics of both injuries will be completely different. In the first case, the possibility of infection is excluded. Surgical wounds are applied under sterile conditions. In the second case, the probability of microbial infection is high. The surgical wound, as a rule, has a cut character. A knife wound can be either cut or stabbed. In addition, the degree of risk of possible complications is different.

wounds classification first aid
During the operation, the surgeon strictly controls the depth, width of the incision and the amount of damaged tissue. A spontaneous knife wound can affect not only the skin, but also muscle tissue, as well as the internal organs of a person. As a result, internal bleeding may occur with the penetration of blood into the chest or abdominal cavity. This already poses a serious danger to life. As you can see, there are a lot of signs that distinguish one wound from another. This is the basis for their division into species. In most cases, the classification of wounds is based on the nature of human tissue damage .

Cut wounds

Traumatology has accumulated a lot of knowledge about the methods of responding to various injuries. In the medical literature, as a rule, the characteristic of each wound, classification, first aid in a particular case is displayed in detail. The cut wounds are usually referred to as the simplest damage. Tissues near the incision are less damaged than other types of injuries. Therefore, they retain their viability, are more resistant to infections and heal faster. Due to the wide exit, there is no strong accumulation of pus inside the wound. This fact plays a positive role in the diagnosis:

  • easy to determine cut depth,
  • Damaged tissue is available for inspection.

Stab wounds

Damages of this type are characterized by a deep wound channel with a relatively small size of the external opening. Diagnosing damage to internal organs is much more difficult than with lacerations. In addition, it is difficult to determine the presence of internal bleeding. In the case of infection, normal healing is greatly complicated. Purulent discharge does not have a sufficient output, and adverse inflammatory processes occur.

wound classification
Bruised wounds

No classification of wounds is complete without this type. In practice, bruising is extremely common. With such wounds, severe bleeding usually does not occur. Vessels along the edges of the wound are crushed over a large extent. This leads to the rapid formation of blood clots.

Gunshot wounds

Without the inclusion of this variety, the classification of wounds would be incomplete. With such injuries, the situation is often complicated by the presence of a foreign body in the patient's body. If the damage is through, then its characteristics will be similar to the features of a stab wound.


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