Important Information Concerning Pulse Lavage Treatment For Wounds

By Paulette Short


Proper debridement and cleansing of open wounds is vitally important with regard to wound care management. It speeds the process of healing, and inhibits infections from starting due to the presence of foreign bodies such as bacteria that may use the wound as a place to enter the person's body. Studies have been completed on a technique referred to pulse lavage debridement, during which the wound is cleansed with water, unlike conventional techniques that require that the area to remain dry.

Wounds can occur for a variety of reasons. For example, a person who is immobile or in a nursing home may develop bedsores because he or she is unable to rise from bed to ambulate and complete other activities. Other wounds may be caused by burns, cuts, or any number of other unfortunate incidents.

Pulse lavage is a term that describes the irrigation of a wound through a process that involves delivering a water-based solution to the area. This is usually completed under a particular degree of pressure, and an electric device is typically what is used to transport the solution to the area. The irrigation causes simultaneous pressure to be applied to the wound and is followed with suction, which in turn transports the solution away from the area. This cleansing technique eradicates infectious agents and debris from the surface of the wound.

It is also possible to deliver the irrigation and suction simultaneously. With this method, the solution irrigates one area of the wound while suctioning another area. For wounds that are very small in circumference, it may be difficult to implement this technique, however.

This type of wound cleansing goes by many different names, these include mechanical, pulsatile, or jet lavage, as well as simply "high-pressure irrigation." However, they all essentially refer to the same technique. The solution used for the irrigation may be plain water, or it may contain other substances as determined by the surgeon, general doctor, or wound care specialist.

This kind of cleansing method is also used by the military. Debriding and cleaning contaminated wounds sustained in combat with this technique was determined to be one of the best options for such patients. In fact, it was during the 1960s that this kind of technique was first used, and it was conducted on military patients initially, and then civilians. Although its safety and effectiveness are still being studied, it is now a universally accepted method of wound cleansing.

There are various levels of pressure that can be utilized with this cleansing method. Some medical scientists claim that only low pressure irrigation should be performed, while other professionals report that there are no additional risks associated with high-pressure techniques. This decision will largely depend on the kind of wound the individual sustained, as well as the opinion of the doctor or other practitioner from whom the patient is receiving treatment. Research has overwhelmingly pointed to the fact that tissue surrounding the wound is safer from exposure to foreign substances such as bacteria after pressurized irrigation is performed.

It is likely that pulse lavage will be used for many years to come on numerous patients. More studies are being conducted in order to fine tune the techniques used. Anyone suffering from a wound should consider speaking to his or her primary care practitioner about this cleansing method.




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