ADVANCED FOOT AND ANKLE SPECIALISTS, PA
Jay S. Weingarten, DPM, FACFAS, FACFAOM
Podiatric Physician and Surgeon
Board Certified Physician – Treating Pediatrics to Geriatrics
Traumatic Wounds
Traumatic wounds are typically defined as cuts, lacerations or puncture wounds which have
caused damage to both the skin and underlying tissues. Acute wounds, cut wounds and
penetrating wounds are the three categories that make up traumatic wounds. An acute
wound occurs when the skin has been ripped or torn and has a jagged appearance. An acute
wound typically contains foreign bodies such as gravel, glass, metal or sand. With acute
traumatic wounds, it is not uncommon for layers of tissue to be easily visible along the
inside of the cut. A traumatic cut wound is the result of something sharp penetrating the skin
and the underlying subcutaneous tissues. Penetrating wounds, however, are considered the
deepest and most severe of all traumatic wounds, because they often occur as the result of
being stabbed or sustaining a gunshot wound.
Causes of Traumatic Wounds
Traumatic wounds can be caused by:
• Incisions, which are generally caused by knives. Cuts from these types of wounds are
usually clean-edged.
• Abrasions resulting from scraping of the skin, which generally contain some form of
debris like gravel, sand, metal or glass.
• Trauma due to force. This type of traumatic wound is most commonly associated with
motor vehicle accidents where body parts are actually crushed, and the skin incurs a
variety of lacerations and cut wounds.
• Gunshot and bullet wounds, which can cause both entry and exit wounds.
• Animal bites, which penetrate the skin and tissues.
Treatment Options for Traumatic Wounds
Because of the severity of traumatic wounds and their vast range of etiologies, treatment can
either be as simple as cleaning and dressing the wound, or it can be more extensive and
require surgical intervention to close the wound and stabilize the patient. The treatment of
traumatic wounds involves repairing damage to the body's underlying tissue structures,
removing any foreign particles and allowing for drainage of the wounds. All of these steps
are essential to prevent the possibility of infection and to promote healing. General
treatment processes for traumatic wounds may include the following:
Laceration: The cut is cleaned using sterile saline solution, and debris is extracted from the
wound. An antibiotic gel is applied to prevent infection, and then a sterile dressing is
applied to keep the wound clean and protected.
Penetration wound: Often repaired in the operating room under general anesthesia. After the
surgical incisions have been made, foreign matter is extracted from the wound while the
patient's vital signs are continuously monitored throughout the procedure. The wound is
then closed with sutures (stitches) and covered with a sterile bandage. Once the traumatic
wound has been tended to, secondary medical issues may be addressed with surgical
intervention.
Abrasions: The wound is cleansed with a sterile gauze pad soaked with saline to remove any
debris. The wound is then bandaged and allowed to scab. In almost all cases of traumatic
wounds, patients are given a tetanus shot to reduce the risk of a tetanus infection.
Recovery from Traumatic Wounds
One of the miracles of the human body is that it naturally regenerates new skin and tissue
when an injury occurs. However, in cases of severe injury, the regenerative process can be
dramatically slowed. Wounds that have been sutured still require adequate healing time to
allow the internal structures to heal even after
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