ACUTE INFLAMMATION OF A WOUND
In this essay in order to get the full benefit of understanding the physiology of acute (meaning sudden onset) inflammation of a wound the author will establish the normal tissue layers of the skin when no injury has occurred through to altered physiology when injury has occurred. Through this process the reader will be able to identify the different stages involved. A wound is associated with an injury to tissue or body structure both internal and external (Martin E.A, 2002). Classification of wounds are divided into six main categories – contusions (bruises), abrasions (graze), laceration (tear), incision (cut), puncture (stab) and burns. There are four main stages to normal wound healing – Haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation phase and maturation phase (Flanagan. M, 2000). Through identifying the type of wound involved it is then possible to assess the normal phase in regard to the injury, inflammation is a normal part of wound healing which is associated with pain, heat, redness and swelling, some of these issues will be discussed in more depth.
Skin covers the entire human body, its main function is to protect the underlying structures from injury or harm from invasions of microbes, skin is involved in maintaining body temperature and also contains sensory nerve endings which detect pain, temperature changes and touch sensors (Waugh & Grant 2007). The skin is part of the integumentary system, structure of the skin consists of two main layers the epidermis and dermis with a layer of subcutaneous fat underlying the two structures.
The epidermis is the most outer layer of skin which consists mainly of stratified keratinised squamous epithelium and is divided into five layers (strata) none of...
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...ed by fibrous scar tissue. The wound site strengthens by the rearrangement of collagen fibres and in time the scar will become less vascular.
Inflammation is the acute physiological response to tissue damage. The cause of inflammation can be classified as:-
Microbes – e.g. bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi.
Physical agents – e.g. heat, cold, mechanical injury, ultraviolet and ionising radiation.
Chemical agents – organic, e.g. microbial toxins and organic poisons.
- Inorganic, e.g. acids and alkalis (Waugh & Grant 2007).
The observer should be aware when assessing a wound as prolonged inflammation can also be a sign of some underlining problems especially when the patient has an illness such as diabetes or respiratory problems. Prolonging the process could become chronic and more tissue is likely to be affected.
The second layer of the skin is called the dermis and is also known as the middle layer. The dermis is what holds the body together. The dermis has layers to it as well as the epidermis. There are two layers to the dermis, the papillary layer and the reticular layer. The cells of the dermis are fibroblast, macrophages, mast cells, and scattered white blood cells (wbc’s). the dermis is richly supplied with nerve fibers and BV;s. dermal BV’s is also a part of the integumentary system, dermal BV,s have converging and diverging vessels that ar...
The epidermis, which is the outer layer of the skin, is made up of four to five layers in some parts (Shier, Butler, & Lewis, 2009). In the majority of the areas, just four layers can be differentiated: the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, and stratum corneum (p.119). Another layer is the stratum lucidum which can be found in the thicker part of the skin of the palms and ...
The epidermis and dermis are tissue layers that make up the skin (integument) covering the body. The layers (strata) of the epidermis range from four to five, depending on where they are on the body; and are classified into two types of skin: thin skin and thick skin. Most of the body is covered in thin skin, which has four layers. Areas of the body that are heavily exposed to stress and pressure (palm of hand and sole of feet) are covered in five layered thick skin. Thin skin has the following
The endothelium is a cell layer that is lined on the interior surface of lymphatic vessels and blood vessels, which are made up of endothelial cells (Dorland, 2012).
Clifforth, S. R. (2007). ABC of wound healing. edited by keith harding and joseph grey. World Journal of Surgery, 31(6), 1364. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00268-007-9026-2
Some cells cause inflammation of the tissue, which raises the temperature of the injured area and is adaptive because it prevents pathogens from entering and spreading into the host. The area of injured tissue also remains very sensitive to pain in order to avoid any type of stimuli
The epidermis is the outer layer, and the dermis is the inner layer. Underneath the dermis is the subcutaneous layer which is composed of fatty tissue allowing it to anchor the skin to the underlying muscles. The epidermis is made of flaky epithelial tissue. The epidermis can be divided into four or five layers but the most important of them are the inner and outer layers. The inner layer is the only layer of the epidermis that receives nutrients. The cells of this layer called basal cells which produce keratin. Another type of cell found in the lower dermis is the melanocyte which produce melanin, a protein pigment that ranges in color from yellow to brown to black. Hair, sweat glands are all rooted in the
Immediately after wounding, the first phase of hemostatsis sets in motion with vascular constriction which restricts the blood flow in the blood vessels followed by the platelets plug formation which creates a temporary blockage of blood flow and then coagulation takes place with fibrin clot formation. The clot and surrounding tissue release pro-inflammatory growth factors and cytokines such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-13, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF).
What is the physiologic mechanism causing the wound to become red, hot, swollen, and painful?How is this different than the inflammatory response that might occur in an internal organ?
Inflammation is the body’s response to injury. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the body to attempt to remove harm and to initiate the healing process. Inflammation occurs with a few minutes of the incident up to a few hours after depending on the severity of the injury.
Inflammation is the first step that every wound takes to repair and heal itself. The purpose of inflammation is stop the bleeding and not let the injury get worse. When inflammation occurs, the healthy cells isolate themselves so the damaged cells can get cleanup by phagocytes. While that is occurring mast cells are activated to release histamine which causes vasodilation in the affected area. Vasodilation is when blood vessels expand in the wounded area. Vasodilation causes red blood cells, water, heat, and clotting proteins to be leaked out in the affected area. The redness and the heat from the wound is coming from the leaked red blood cells. Swelling is caused from the leaked water from vasodilation. The pain is also caused by the water that leaks out during vasodilation because the H2O presses against your nerves. Inflammation causes an increase of nutrients(for ATP), oxygen(for ATP), white blood cells(fight off bacteria), blood-clotting proteins,
An inflammation response is carried out with a change in the flow of blood, an increased absorbency of the blood vessels and a relocation of fluid, protein and leukocyte white blood cells from the normal circulation to the location of the injury and tissue which has been damaged or requires healing. An acute inflammation
This phase generates the necessary actions that are vital in preparing the wound for healing. The body is attempting to remove the triggering stimulus (if present), limit the tissue damage, and set the stage for repair and regeneration of the wound (Rowan et al., 2015). If natural biological healing does not progress satisfactorily, it can lead to a chronic wound with chronic inflammation, though this is most often associated with other disease conditions or a compromised immune system. On a larger scale, this is a significant, world-wide issue of concern for present and future research, because these types of non-healing or persistent wounds impact on the quality of life for an estimated 40 million people worldwide and are costly in many ways (Zhao, Liang, Clarke, Jackson, & Xue,
Inflammation which is part of the innate immune system is a process by which the body reacts to injury protecting it from infection and foreign substances with the help of the body’s white blood cells “Inflammation can be defined as the body’s local vascular and cellular response to injury caused by factors that invade and injure the body from the outside (exogenous factors) or factors within the body that result in cellular or tissue injury (endogenous) factors” (Battle, 2009, P 238). Factors such as bacteria, viruses, burns, frostbite, chemical irritants, immune reactions and physical injury are examples of factors that can cause inflammation through different mechanisms. It is a protective mechanism with rapid response that neutralizes or destroys agents that causes injury and creates a barrier that limit the injury and prevents its spread to normal tissues (Battle, 2009). Also, it has elements that removes debris and heals the wound generated by the injury. It can be divided into acute and chronic inflammation.
The skin has 3 main function. It has to regulate body temperature, remove waste (perspiration), and protect. The skin is made up of 3 layers. The epidermis is the outer thinner layer of the skin that is made up of dead and living cells. The dermis is the thicker middle layer of the skin that contains blood vessels and nerves. Sweat glands are found in the dermis, they secrete perspiration through ducts to pores on the skin’s surface. To avoid problems like warts, boils, moles, acne, and sunburn you can wash your body daily, wear sunscreen that is 15 or higher, and check your body often...