Classification

Based of etiology

• Surgical wounds, caused by surgical procedures such as incisions or excisions.
• Penetrating wounds ,caused by penetrating trauma ie bullet wounds, stabbings by sharp objects
• Blunt wounds, caused by blunt trauma
• Burn wounds, caused by chemical, thermal, radiational burn injuries.

Based on Rank-Wakefield classification

• Tidy wounds, inflicted by sharp instruments and contain no devitalized tissue. They are usually single with clear cut borders.
• Untidy wounds, resulting from crushing, avulsion, and contain devitalized tissue. They are usually multiple with irregular borders.

Based on wound duration

• Acute wound, it has an anticipated timeframe commonly within 3 to 4 weeks.
• Chronic wounds, persist beyond 6 weeks

Based on skin integrity

• Open wound, the overlying skin is compromised and underlying tissue is exposed. Open wounds can be classified into a number of different types:
  • Incisional wound, results from trauma with sharp objects . It has regular and clear cut borders. The wound is relatively clean and minimal debridement is
  • Lacerated wound, results from objects with narrow dull edges (like saws or fan blades). It has irregular wound ages
  • Penetrated wound, cause by sharp pointed objects like nails. Have relatively small opening and may be very deep.
  • Perforating wound, have two openings one of entrance and other of exit. For example a gunshot wound.
  • Abrasions, is a shearing injury of the skin in which the surface is scraped or rubbed off.
  • Crush wounds, results from a prolonged high energy force, pressure or compression against the body part in question causing damage extending further beyond what is visibly injured.
  • Avulsion, the tissue is torn as a result traction forces.
• Closed wound, the overlying skin is intact however the underlying tissue is damaged.
  • Hematoma, collection of blood under the skin caused by damage to the blood vessels and associated tissue.
  • Contusions (bruise), caused by blunt trauma that damage the tissue under the skin without breaking the overlying skin.

Based on wound depth

• Partial thickness wound, the damage involves epidermis and superficial aspect of dermis.
• Full thickness wound, involves both epidermis and dermis entirely.

Based on degree of contamination

• Clean wound, occurring in aseptic, sterile environment. For instance surgical incisions made in the abdominal cavity in which respiratory tract, alimentary, genital or uninfected urinary tracts are not entered.
• Clean contaminated wound, Operative wound in which the respiratory, alimentary, genital or urinary tract is entered under controlled conditions and without unusual contamination
• Contaminated wound, wounds with significant exposure to environmental contaminants or surgical wounds with major breaks in sterile technique or gross spillage from the gastrointestinal tract.
• Infected wounds, Old traumatic wounds with retained devitalized tissue and those that involve existing clinical features of infection.