Debridement is the removal of unhealthy tissue from a wound. It will improve wound healing. There are different ways to do debridement.
Surgical Debridement of Lower Leg WoundCopyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. |
Debridement may be done to:
Problems are rare, but all procedures have some risk. The doctor will discuss problems that could happen such as:
Things that may raise the risk of problems are:
The doctor may meet with you to talk about:
Anesthesia may be used for deep wounds. Local anesthesia will numb the area. General anesthesia will make you sleep.
There are different types of debridement. Treatment may include more than one step. Methods may be:
Surgery—often used on large, deep, or painful wounds. Tools will be used to remove dead tissue. Some wounds may need help to close after tissue is removed. To do this, some skin will be removed from another area of the body and placed on the wound.
Non-surgical—will use medicine or water to remove dead tissue. Medical whirlpool or syringes may be used to brush away dead skin. Wet to dry dressing is another option. A wet dressing is packed in the wound and left until it is dry. When the dry dressing is pulled away it will take dead tissue with it.
A medicine may also be used over the wound. It will help to dissolve dead tissue. It can also help the body heal the wound itself. All methods may need to be repeated several times.
Surgical debridement is the quickest method. Nonsurgical debridement may take 2 to 6 weeks or longer.
There may be some soreness after the procedure. Pain medicine can help.
Most can go home the same day, unless they were already in the hospital.
It may take the wound many weeks to heal. Wound care will need to continue at home.
Call your doctor if you are not getting better or you have:
If you think you have an emergency, call for medical help right away.
VNAA—Visiting Nurse Associations of America
http://www.vnaa.org
Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
http://www.wocn.org
Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca
Wounds Canada
https://www.woundscanada.ca
Debridement. University of California San Francisco Department of Surgery website. Available at: https://surgery.ucsf.edu/conditions--procedures/debridement.aspx. Accessed September 28, 2021.
Gupta S, Andersen C, et al. Management of chronic wounds: diagnosis, preparation, treatment, and follow-up. Wounds. 2017;29(9):S19-S36.
Treatment of chronic wounds. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/management/treatment-of-chronic-wounds-18. Accessed September 28, 2021.
Last reviewed July 2021 by
EBSCO Medical Review Board
Marcin Chwistek, MD
Last Updated: 9/28/2021