Wound Infection

Wound Infection

Introduction

            When a person develops a wound resulting from injuries such as cuts, it is vital that the person cleans the area very well with antiseptic and covers well. This action will prevent the entry of germs, such as bacteria, which may cause infections in the affected area.

Possible cause of symptoms

            The man’s leg was cut by a trimmer, after which he cleaned the area with water from a garden hose. Water from a garden horse is not necessarily clean as it serves the purpose of watering garden plants. As a result, the man might not have cleaned the cut effectively. For proper cleaning of wounds, one should use soap and water rather than water alone. Also, one can use an antiseptic to ensure that germs are killed (Haesler & Ousey, 2018). If possible, the person should apply an antibiotic ointment on the cut before covering the area. The man did not follow most of these steps. He washed the wound using water only and covered the area after that. There is a high possibility that the trimmer had germs on it, and they penetrated the skin during the cut. Therefore, having failed to clean the area effectively, the microbes survived and multiplied within the area resulting in infection.

According to the man, he did not mention anything about changing the dressing on the wound. He says that he covered the area using a large band-aid, possibly meaning that he did not change the dressing at any point. The dressing on wounds should be replaced after every 24 hours to keep the area clean. Having failed to meet these requirements, the man may have a wound infection, often characterized by swelling, redness, and pain in the infected area. He also reported fever, which is a symptom of severe infection.

Wound Healing Associated Genes

            The genes associated with wound healing include MMP-9, connective tissue growth factor, β5 integrin, metallothioneins, progranulin, and αv integrin. Connexin 43 hemichannels are responsible for the regulation of these genes (Tarzemany et al., 2017). However, the activity of these components reduces with aging (Yanai et al., 2016). Therefore, a wound on a child’s skin is more likely to heal faster than a similar injury on the skin of an older individual. Given that the man was 42 years old, this system may have developed reduced functionality over the years. As a result, he is more likely to develop wound infections if the wound is not managed appropriately.

Reconstitution of the skin is an essential process that ensures that germs do not penetrate the skin and cause infections. This process is slower in older people, putting them at a higher risk of developing wound infections. However, proper hygiene is a simple way of preventing such infections from occurring.

Immunosuppression

Immunosuppression refers to suppressing the body’s immune system such that its ability to fight off infections is reduced. This procedure is mainly applied in cases of transplants to minimize graft rejection. The induction may be intentional using drugs or may occur as a result of a disease such as AIDS. Immunosuppression is also a side effect of drugs such as anti-cancer drugs. When carrying out induced immunosuppression, it is vital to ensure that the drug used only affects a portion of the factors of the immune system. Otherwise, changing the immune system as a whole will leave the patient extremely vulnerable to infections.

Studies indicate that drugs that cause immunosuppression should not be used until after wounds are healed (Bootun, 2013). This advocating is because immunosuppression negatively affects the wound healing process. The use of these drugs will prevent effective healing of the wound, resulting in the development of infections, which could turn out to be fatal.