Whether we see your child as an inpatient in the hospital or at outpatient appointments, our Wound Care Clinic team works together to prevent infection, promote healing, and reduce pain and scarring. Our wound care usually involves regularly performing these steps:
- irrigation — Wounds heal better when they stay moist. Irrigation is the steady flow of a solution (usually saline or salt water) on the wound to hydrate it and remove debris.
- cleaning — Using moistened gauze pads, a nurse will gently and carefully remove dried blood, dead skin and any other debris from the wound.
- dressing — Wounds that can be stitched closed might just require routine cleansing and fresh bandages. Other, deeper wounds might heal better if they’re left open and “packed” (when gauze is applied inside an unstitched wound to help it heal from the inside out). We always try to choose the gentlest, most effective dressing so as not to cause additional pain on removal.
Depending on the type of wound, kids may need antibiotics to prevent infection and/or pain medications if the wound is severe.