NEWSLETTER

Open Wound

Medically reviewed by Andrew Gonzalez MD, JD, MPH on August 14, 2018 — Written by Julie Roddick
and Valencia Higuera

Types

Treatment

Complications

Outlook

What is an open wound?

An open wound is an injury involving an external or internal break in body tissue, usually involving the
skin. Nearly everyone will experience an open wound at some point in their life. Most open wounds are
minor and can be treated at home.

Falls, accidents with sharp objects, and car accidents are the most common causes of open wounds. In
the case of a serious accident, you should seek immediate medical care. This is especially true if there’s a
lot of bleeding or if bleeding lasts for more than 20 minutes.

Are there different types of open wounds?

There are four types of open wounds, which are classified depending on their cause.

Abrasion

An abrasion occurs when your skin rubs or scrapes against a rough or hard surface. Road rash is an
example of an abrasion. There’s usually not a lot of bleeding, but the wound needs to be scrubbed and
cleaned to avoid infection.
Laceration

A laceration is a deep cut or tearing of your skin. Accidents with knives, tools, and machinery are
frequent causes of lacerations. In the case of deep lacerations, bleeding can be rapid and extensive.

Puncture

A puncture is a small hole caused by a long, pointy object, such as a nail or needle. Sometimes, a bullet
can cause a puncture wound.

Punctures may not bleed much, but these wounds can be deep enough to damage internal organs. If you
have even a small puncture wound, visit your doctor to get a tetanus shot and prevent infection.

Avulsion

An avulsion is a partial or complete tearing away of skin and the tissue beneath. Avulsions usually occur
during violent accidents, such as body-crushing accidents, explosions, and gunshots. They bleed heavily
and rapidly.

Different types of wounds require different types of wound care products. One of the key factors that
must be taken into consideration is the amount of exudate – pus, blood and other fluids – coming from
the affected area. For example, alginates are typically used for ulcers with heavy exudate, while
transparent films are best geared toward wounds with little or no drainage. So it’s important to know the
various categories of wound drainage so you can discuss the proper wound healing plan with your
clinician. Review these basic types of drainage:

Serous

This type of drainage is plasma that’s thin, clear and watery. It’s normal to experience a small amount of
this type of exudate during the inflammatory wound healing stages. However, excessive serous drainage
may be a sign that you have high bioburden, which is the number of unsterilized bacteria living on the
surface of the wound.

Sanguineous
Sanguineous drainage is fresh blood that is prevalent among deep wounds of full and partial thickness.
During the inflammatory stage, a small amount of this bloody leakage is natural. But when this type of
exudate occurs during other wound healing stages, it may be an indicator that the wound bed has
undergone trauma, such as during dressing changes, which can hinder healing.

Serosanguineous

Among the most common of all drainage types is serosanguineous. This leakage is thin and watery, and
it’s pink in color (it can also be a darker red). The pink tinge is the effect of red blood cells in the fluid,
which is a sign that there is damage to the capillaries. Such damage generally occurs during wound
dressing changes and can disrupt the healing process.

Purulent

You may be experiencing purulent drainage when the leakage from your wound appears milky. It’s
generally gray, green or yellow, and purulent drainage is most commonly thick in consistency, though
some purulent exudate can be thin. This may be a sign that the wound has an infection – the fluid
becomes off-color and thick because pathogenic microorganisms and dying bacteria in addition to
inflammatory and white cells are invading the affected area, according to Clinical Microbiology Reviews.
As the infection worsens, the amount of purulent leakage increases. Be sure to keep an eye out for this
type of exudate and see a clinician if it occurs.