How Severe Edema Causes Impairment to Wound Healing Process?
Necrosis, infection, maceration, even poor nutrition, and abnormal bacterial presence are the common culprits to the new tissue growth. Severe edema is also a primary hindrance to the process of timely and proper wound healing. Today, plenty of medications and advanced wound care products are available to treat it fast.
What is Edema?
It is the condition in which the body parts swell too much from inflammation and injury when the small blood vessels leak fluids into the tissues nearby mainly the skin. It can affect a tiny region or even the whole body.
Infections, medications, pregnancy, and other health problems can cause edema. This additional fluid buildup with time and makes the tissues swell. It occurs in the skin mainly on the hands, ankles, legs, arms, and feet.
However, it can also affect the bowels, muscles, lungs, brain, and eyes. This condition typically occurs in the aged females and adults.
However, edema is temporary, though some people may face sudden outbreaks more often in comparison to others. Tissue and cellular-based wound care products offer a moist environment vital for successful leg ulcer management.
Causes of Edema
There are a lot of parameters that can delay the stages of wound healing. There are also many types of edema. Pedal edema leads to swelling in feet whereas pulmonary edema affects lungs. Pregnant ladies usually experience this condition.
-Estrogen
-High BP medicine
-Anti-inflammatory drugs
-Steroids
-Thiazolidinediones (diabetes medicines)
It can even be due to prolonged sitting, pre-menstruation, kidney disorders & damage, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and consuming too many high-salt foods.
Just remember that if you fail to diagnose and treat it can be deadly. It may even damage the tissue when experienced in excess.
Symptoms of Edema
-Puffiness of ankles, eyes, or face
-Weight gain/loss
-Abdominal pain and headache
-Lethargy and confusion
-Stretched, swollen, and shiny skin
-High BP and pulse rate
-Changes in bowel habits
-Stiff joints and painful body parts
-Nausea and vomiting
-Visual abnormalities
How Does Severe Edema Affect Healing of Wound?
Constant or untreated edema can result in swelling, mobility issues, the stiffness of skin, and excess pain. It can also lower blood circulation, increase the risk of infection in the affected region, and severely affect the elasticity of arteries.
All of which prevent wound healing by stopping the blood flow all over the body and other wound locations.
Severe edema as the wound stops the local blood supply and makes the process slow down or does not heal at all. Complications can further increase and lead to the risk of skin ulcers.
As per the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, edema causes compression of small blood vessels and creates a dead tissue which can lead to a pressure ulcer.
Extra moisture can further result in maceration that causes breakdown of the epidermal layer and leads to the slow body recovery.
How to Deal With Severe Edema?
In the mild forms, edema usually vanishes on its own. Compression, physical activity, and massage are the best natural remedies to cope with severe edema because they boost the flow of fluids and blood in the body.
Also, topical wound care products like antimicrobial dressings, foam dressings, and alginate dressing are best for leg ulcers.
You can also raise the affected region above the heart to lower temporary swelling. If it has become more severe, always take prescribed medicines by an experienced doctor.
He/she may advise you to take a diuretic to lower the fluid build-up. It’s best to talk with your clinician if the swelling is constant and in excess. He will give you the best severe edema treatment plan and even examine any together medical conditions too.
