title: Infected? Or not?
abstract: The criteria described earlier should be considered when the classic signs of wound infection do not appear. These criteria should also be considered in the presence of delayed wound healing as delayed wound healing should produce a high suspicion of an existing wound infection.The importance of the early recognition and suspicion of wound infection should not be underestimated because of the high economic burden of prolonged treatment and human suffering.The challenge to the practitioner lies in possessing knowledge and ability to recognize the state of a wound in relation to the bacterial continuum and intervene appropriately.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. marcia.spear@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spear
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents