Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide, 7e
|Section 6. Emergency Wound Management >| Chapter 45. Methods
for Wound Closure Sections: Methods for Wound Closure:
Introduction, Overview of Wound Closure Methods, References.
Topics Discussed: wound closure. Excerpt:"The major goal of
wound closure is to restore the skin's integrity in order to
reduce the risk of infection, scarring, and impaired function.
This may be achieved by one of three methods. With primary
closure, the wound is immediately closed by approximating its
edges. The main advantage of primary closure is a reduction in
healing time in comparison with other closure methods. Rapid
wound closure also may reduce bleeding and discomfort often
associated with open wounds. Secondary wound closure, in which
the wound is left open and allowed to close on its own, is
particularly well suited for highly contaminated or infected
wounds as well as in patients at high risk of infection.
Although this method may reduce the risk of infectio