Physiology of wound healing and surgical wound care.

Wound healing is a systemic process, which occurs stepwise and involves the stages of hemostasis, inflammation, and repair. Hemostasis with fibrin formation creates a protective wound scab. The scab provides a surface beneath which cell migration and movement of the wound edges can occur. Inflammation brings nutrients to the area of the wound, removes debris and bacteria, and provides chemical stimuli for wound repair. Repair begins immediately after wounding and proceeds rapidly through the processes of epithelialization, fibroplasia, and capillary proliferation into the healing area. Different tissues have their own normal rates of growth during the process of healing. The optimal rate of healing is approached when factors advantageous to healing are present and factors having the ability to disturb or retard the healing processes are controlled or absent. These factors are discussed.