title: Acute wounds.
abstract: The most important factors in the management of acute wounds are the history and physical examination. The goals of wound care are fivefold: avoid further tissue damage, achieve wound closure as rapidly as possible, restore function to the injured tissue, facilitate the patient's expedient return to normal daily activities, and restore the patient's quality of life. The treating physician must have a good understanding of the wound healing mechanism. One must rule out all associated occult injuries that may be life threatening. Proper wound assessment and management with minimal discomfort to the patient are crucial. The primary goal is to facilitate the healing process to achieve a cosmetically pleasing and functional result.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, 60612, USA. sramasas@uic.edu
authors.forename: Sai S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ramasastry
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001458:Bandages; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000601:surgery; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000503:physiopathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D018529:Nutritional Support; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries*; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D016207:Cytokines