title: Initial wound management.
abstract: A wounded patient can be presented to the veterinary surgeon under a number of circumstances. The wound could result from external trauma,such as vehicle trauma or an animal fight, or it could have been created by surgical intervention, such as the removal of a mass. A wound could also be secondary to a failed initial attempt at wound closure. No matter what the cause, initial wound management often follows similar pathways. A successful wound closure and healing outcome is often dependent on adherence to basic principles of wound assessment, appropriate care, and reassessment. This article covers the approach to and specific options for the initial stages of wound management.
authors.affiliation: Animal Cancer Center, Colorado State University, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, 300 West Drake, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. wdernell@colostate.edu
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Dernell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003646:Debridement / Q000662:veterinary; D004322:Drainage / Q000662:veterinary; D010346:Patient Care Management; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D014945:Wound Healing; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*