When treating a wound the primary goal is always to try and achieve healing. This is true of both acute wounds and chronic wounds.

Mark Collier, Tissue Viability Nurse Consultant uses the mnemonic TIME to explain the processes involved in wound treatment:

Tissue –Within a wound there are various tissue types. In an ideal situation there would be healthy tissue within the wound, however there will invariably be other tissue types. For example, sloughing tissue is tissue that has been devitalised, or necrotic tissue which is tissue that has died. It is important for a practitioner to recognise the types of tissue in a wound so that appropriate steps can be used to treat it.

Infection – All wounds contain bacteria. These bacteria can cause an inflammatory response or an infection within the wound that needs to be treated. Infections may need to be treated using topical agents, which are treatments that have an effect within in a localised area, such as particular types of dressing used to cover the wound.

Moisture – The old method of thinking for wound treatment was to leave wounds open and exposed, however research has now shown that it is important to keep a moist wound environment for as long as possible. This can be achieved by the new interactive dressings used to treat wounds. It is essential a practitioner recognise how much moisture is in the wound so that any dry areas can be corrected.

Edges – The edges of a wound provide an indication to practitioners on how much fluid is being produced in the wound. Wound edges can also highlight other conditions, such as eczema, that also require treatment.

For patients, it is essential that they monitor their wounds and highlight any changes to their practitioner. If the skin around the wound has a sudden change in colour, turns red or is warm to touch it could indicate an infection has developed within the wound. Similarly, if the amount of fluid produced by the wound severely increases for no obvious reason this could also signal a problem. If a patient with a lower limb wound feels that their limb has suddenly increased in size, it is important they contact the healthcare professional working with them to treat their wound, such as a district nurse or a tissue viability nurse.

In association with United Lincolnshire Hospitals, NHS.

Supported by 3M Health Care

Mark Collier, BA(Hons), RN, ONC, RCNT, RNT

Lead Nurse/Consultant - Tissue Viability, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Pilgrim Hospital, Sibsey Road, Lincs

10031 December 2011