What is an infected wound?
Microbes are present on all wounds however; the bacterial balance plays a key role is effective wound healing. Infection is defined as the invasion of a wound by proliferating microorganisms to a level that evokes a local, spreading and / or systemic response in the host⁽¹⁾.
Wound infection continues to be a challenge within clinical settings. The presence of wound infection can delay the healing process,increase the risk of unplanned hospital admissions, negatively impact the patient’s quality of life. Together these factors pose a significant increase in the economic cost of managing wounds
- Delayed wound healing.
- Patient anxiety and discomfort.
- Hospitalisation, amputation and death.
- For diabetic patients, an infected foot ulcer precedes 60% of amputations, and the risk of amputation was 154.5 times greater than those without foot infection⁽²⁾
DID YOU KNOW
Infection contributes to increased costs for the health care system⁽³⁾.
Each patient with a surgical sit infection will require an additional 6.5 days in hospital⁽⁴⁾.
Costs to the NHS related to hospital acquired infection is £1 billion per year⁽⁴⁾.
1. Siddiqui AR andBernstein JM. Clin Dermatol, 2010; 28(5): 519-26
2. Lipsky BA.Medical Treatment of Diabetic Foot Infections. Clin Infect Dis.2004;39(Supplement2):S104-S114.doi:10.1086/383271
3. Siddiqui AR,Bernstein JM. Chronic wound infection: facts and controversies. Clinics inDermatology.2010 Sep-Oct;28(5):519-26.
4. Collier M.Recognition and management of wound infections. World Wide Wounds. 200401.