Knowing The Ins And Outs Of Wound Irrigation

By Melissa Stewart


Accidents and moments of trauma are not only life threatening, but can also be scary. The real presence of fear comes along with a wound starts to develop. Injuries that are left untreated can sometimes result in something catastrophic occurring. Wound irrigation may mean the difference between life and death.

What child has not had the experience of playing in the water when the sprinklers were turned on. Though a child might believe that this summertime fun was tailor-made for them; it really was not. The greater purpose was to have a irrigation system that turned the grass green and kept it healthy.

Wound irrigation occurs when a steady flow of liquid is used to flush out an open wound to remove debris and dead tissue. This method is used to keep a wound properly hydrated, which helps in speeding up the process of healing. One may compare it to irrigating a lawn which helps in producing a nice, healthy lawn.

The liquid pressure used in this process is very important. It has to be at a level where it removes what it needs to remove, while also being gentle enough to not cause any additional damage to the wound. The pressure is often measured per square inch in pounds. If one uses a psi between 5 and 15 it should be good enough to remove the dead flesh. If a wound is chronic, one should use a pressure that can achieve the same results but at the lowest psi if possible.

The question may arise of when to use this medical method. One example would be to use it on ulcers because they are considered chronic. To the eye, they look like sores that are opened that have been filled with tissue that is dead. This method would be instrumental in helping the injury to heal.

Now, one may wonder what would be the best liquids to use to aid in the healing process. One would definitely be water because it is a lot more accessible and incredible easy to use. Normal saline is another fluid that is commonly used because it has very few side effects. The healing process is preserved and its osmotic pressure equates to that of bodily fluids. Hydrogen Peroxide is sometimes used because it not only flushes the wound but also kills all types of bacteria and germs. Using this fluid has caused some controversy because evidence concludes that using it too much may slow down the healing process.

There are steps that should take place before starting the flushing of the wound. The individual performing the procedure must wash and sanitize their hands. Be careful to read the orders that the doctor has specified, as well as verify the patients identity. Check and see if the person is allergic to anything. Then proceed in laying out the proper equipment.

When it comes to cleaning the infected area, the tools usually are made up of syringe or tool similar to that in which a dentist would use when cleansing teeth. Now the size of the syringe depends upon how large the wound is. The streams used to flush the injury can be intermittent or continual. The time it takes to administer the flush depends again upon the size of the wound.




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