A wound infection occurs when germs, such as bacteria, grow within the damaged skin of a wound. Symptoms tin can include increasing hurting, swelling, and redness. More severe infections may cause nausea, chills, or fever.

A person may exist able to treat small-scale wound infections at dwelling house. However, people with more severe or persistent wound infections should seek medical attention.

In this article, nosotros describe how to prevent, recognize, and treat an infected wound. We likewise cover run a risk factors, complications, when to see a doctor, and medical treatment.

girl with bandage on knee wondering how to treat an infected wound
A person with a small wound or infection tin commonly treat them at home.

People can ordinarily safely treat small wounds, such as minor cuts and scratches, at domicile. With proper care, nigh small wounds volition gradually go better until they fully heal.

If a wound becomes infected, still, it can get worse instead of ameliorate. Any pain, redness, and swelling will typically increase in intensity.

Wound infections can likewise atomic number 82 to other symptoms, such equally:

  • warm skin effectually the wound
  • yellow or green discharge coming from the wound
  • the wound giving off an unpleasant smell
  • red streaks on the pare around the wound
  • fever and chills
  • aches and pains
  • nausea
  • vomiting

People with a mild infection of a pocket-sized wound may be able to treat the wound at home. Nevertheless, more astringent wound infections require prompt medical attention, particularly those that occur along with other symptoms, such as fever, feeling unwell, or discharge and reddish streaks coming from the wound.

To treat an infected wound at home, follow these steps:

  1. Before start, ensure that all necessary equipment is clean. For case, if using tweezers, clean them with rubbing alcohol first.
  2. Thoroughly wash the easily with soap and warm h2o, then rinse and dry them.
  3. Make clean the cut or scrape past running warm h2o over it for several minutes. Utilize warm, soapy water to clean the surrounding peel, merely avoid getting soap in the wound.
  4. Make sure that there is no dirt or debris, such as glass or gravel, in the wound. To remove debris, either use tweezers or advisedly and gently rub the wound with a soft, damp cloth.
  5. If desired, utilise a thin layer of clarified ointment or petroleum jelly to the cutting or scrape.
  6. Allow the skin to air-dry out before covering it with gauze or a bandage. There is usually no need to embrace minor cuts and scrapes.

Other tips for treating wounds at home include:

  • Alter the wound dressing at least in one case a twenty-four hour period. Supersede information technology immediately if it gets damp or dingy.
  • Gently wash the wound each day.
  • Avoid using hydrogen peroxide or iodine on the wound every bit these may cause skin irritation in some people. Cease using other antiseptic ointments if they cause skin irritation.
  • Practice non choice at the skin or the scab as this can lead to scarring, slow down healing, and increase the risk of infection.
  • If the wound does not testify signs of improvement inside i–ii days, encounter a medico.

man washing wound on his foot with water
A person should wash the wound immediately to prevent infection.

Cleaning and protecting a wound tin reduce the risk of infection. After sustaining a minor cut or scratch, a person should:

  1. Launder the wound immediately by running clean water over it for several minutes. Then, clean the skin around the wound with warm, soapy h2o. If it is not possible to utilize clean h2o, treat the wound with alcohol wipes.
  2. Permit the skin to air-dry.
  3. Apply an clarified ointment to the wound.
  4. Protect the injury with gauze or another suitable dressing.

People with larger wounds or excessive bleeding will require medical treatment. A healthcare professional person tin care for the injury to prevent infection and other complications.

People with animal bites or wounds from dirty or rusty objects may be at take chances of tetanus and should also seek medical attention. A healthcare professional can clean the wound and give the person a shot to protect confronting tetanus infection if necessary.

Tetanus is a potentially fatal condition that occurs when sure bacteria enter the torso and release toxins that affect the nerves. The symptoms of tetanus can include painful muscle spasms, lockjaw, and fever.

Cuts, grazes, and other breaks in the skin can go infected when leaner enter the wound and begin to multiply. The bacteria may come from the surrounding skin, the external environment, or the object that caused the injury.

It is of import to clean and protect the wound properly to reduce the gamble of infection.

The risk of wound infection is higher if:

  • the wound is large, deep, or has a jagged border
  • dirt or foreign particles entered the wound
  • the cause of the wound was a seize with teeth from an animal or another person
  • the cause of the wound was an injury involving a dirty, rusty, or contaminated object

Certain wellness conditions and environmental factors can also increase the risk of infection. These include:

  • diabetes
  • poor claret circulation
  • a weakened immune system, such as in people living with HIV or those taking immunosuppressant medications
  • lack of mobility, for case, in people who spend most of their time in bed
  • advancing age — older adults are more at risk of wound infection
  • nutrient and vitamin deficiencies

Rarely, incision wounds from surgical procedures can also become infected. Co-ordinate to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2006 and 2008, about 1.9 percent of surgical wounds became infected in people having operations in the United States.

If a person does not receive treatment for a wound infection, it can spread to other parts of the body, which may lead to serious complications, including:

  • Cellulitis is an infection of the deeper layers and tissues of the peel, and information technology can crusade swelling, redness, and hurting in the affected surface area. Other symptoms can include fever, dizziness, and nausea and vomiting.
  • Osteomyelitis is a bacterial infection of the bone, and symptoms include hurting, redness, and swelling around the infected surface area. Fatigue and fever are other symptoms that may affect those with osteomyelitis.
  • Sepsis is an extreme allowed reaction that tin sometimes occur when an infection enters the bloodstream. Sepsis tin lead to multiple organ failure and is life-threatening. According to the CDC, nearly 270,000 people in the U.S. die each year due to sepsis.
  • Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare condition that occurs when a bacterial infection spreads into a tissue called the fascial lining that lies deep beneath the skin. Necrotizing fasciitis is a medical emergency that causes severe pare damage and pain and tin can spread throughout the body.

A person with a wound should seek medical attention if:

  • the wound is big, deep, or has jagged edges
  • the edges of the wound do not stay together
  • symptoms of infection occur, such as fever, increasing pain or redness, or discharge from the wound
  • it is non possible to make clean the wound properly or remove all debris, such as glass or gravel
  • the cause of the wound was a seize with teeth or an injury from a muddied, rusty, or contaminated object

Seek urgent medical attention if blood is spurting from the wound or if applying pressure level to the wound does not stop the bleeding.

man taking antibiotics with water
A doctor may care for an infection with antibiotics.

Doctors tin can treat a bacterial infection with antibiotics. Information technology is of import for a person to consummate the course of antibiotics to treat the infection fully and to prevent the leaner from becoming resistant to the drug.

In addition to cleaning, some wounds may require farther treatment. If the cutting is large or deep, for example, a doctor or nurse may take to use stitches to close information technology. They tin can ofttimes close smaller cuts with medical glue or strips of tape instead.

If the wound contains dead or contaminated tissue, a doc may remove this tissue in a procedure called debridement. Debridement should promote healing and prevent the infection from spreading.

A person might require a tetanus shot if the cause of the wound was a seize with teeth or an injury from a dirty or rusty object.

The CDC recommend that adults get a tetanus booster shot every 10 years to protect them confronting tetanus infection. However, for certain types of wound, a doctor may still prescribe a tetanus shot for people who have not had one in the past five years.

A wound infection can occur if bacteria enter and multiply inside the wound. Immediately cleaning and dressing cuts, grazes, and other small wounds is the best style to prevent infections. However, people with larger, deeper, or more than serious wounds should have a trained healthcare professional treat the injury.

The signs and symptoms of wound infection can include increasing pain, swelling, and redness around the affected area. A person may be able to care for a balmy infection of a small wound at home by recleaning and redressing the wound.

All the same, more severe wound infections require prompt medical attending, peculiarly those that occur along with fever, feeling unwell, or discharge and carmine streaks coming from the wound.

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