Wound Infection Management: Important Terms to Know

by the WoundSource Editors

Acute wound: Alteration in skin integrity such as a simple laceration or a surgical wound that moves normally through the healing process and heals in a predictable timeframe without complication.

Antibiotic resistant: Organisms that have the ability to alter themselves genetically so that antibiotics do not have an inhibitory or lethal effect on them, thus allowing continued proliferation.

Antimicrobial resistant: Microorganism such as bacteria, viruses, and some parasites with the ability to resist antimicrobial agents.

Chronic wound: A wound that has not shown signs of significant improvement or progress toward healing within 30 days of onset.

Colonization: The presence of bacteria within the wound that multiply or initiate the host reaction.

Contamination: The presence of non-replicating bacteria. The host controls the environment, and healing is not impaired by these bacteria.

Critical colonization: The proliferation of bacteria in the host, resulting in delayed wound healing, but still without an overt host reaction. Usually associated with increased pain previously not reported.

Hospital-acquired infection: Infections are caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens; the most common types are bloodstream infection (BSI), pneumonia (eg, ventilator-associated pneumonia [VAP]), urinary tract infection (UTI), and surgical site infection (SSI).

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites with an associated host reaction.

Multidrug-resistant organism: Bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and viruses that have developed resistance to antimicrobial drugs.

Needle aspiration culture: Culture performed on tissue or fluid obtained by aspiration with a fine-gauge needle.

Normothermia: Condition of normal body temperature or an environmental temperature that does not cause more or less activity of body cells.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, and do not represent the views of WoundSource, Kestrel Health Information, Inc., its affiliates, or subsidiary companies.