What is a wound and its types?

A blow, a cut with a sharp object, or a bite can cause injuries that, depending on their severity, may require immediate medical attention. We teach you how to act in the event of damage of this type.

A wound lacks continuity of the skin that can be caused by different causes, such as a blow, a cut with a sharp object, or a bite. It is important to know its origin since the treatment will be largely conditioned by the agent that causes it if, for example, the wound has been caused by an animal bite, the person will have to be vaccinated, or for a cut, it may need to suture.

Most of the time, injuries do not pose an immediate risk, but they can become so if you do not act correctly from the first moment. In order not to encounter any complications, there are a series of signs that we must know and some behaviors that we must adopt that will provide us with peace of mind and help to recover from the wound.

Complications of a wound

The most important complications that can arise from a wound are:

• Bleeding: important to know how to treat it immediately because it can lead to shock.
• Infection: if it is mild, it slows down the healing process and causes fever and severe pain. If it becomes severe, it can lead to the loss of the affected limb or even shock and death.

Types of wounds

There are different types of wounds. Some need more urgent attention than others. Its appearance will give us an idea of ​​what type of injury we face and how to act before them:

• Open: with separation from the skin. We must check the distance from one edge of the wound to the other and the depth. If it is not very open, a suture will not be necessary.
• Closed: no separation of the skin is observed, but there is usually hematoma. They are usually caused by blows and require quick attention to rule out the compromise of any organ or of the circulation.
• Simple: only reach the skin without affecting any function of the body. The person only manifests local pain, does not complain of pain in internal organs.
• Complicated: they are extensive and deep, with abundant bleeding, and generally involve injuries to muscles, nerves, vessels, or internal organs. They are very striking and are easily recognized.