Wound care is the treatment of breaks in the skin or mucous membranes. Wounds can be caused by a wide range of circumstances including cuts, punctures and burns.

Common types of wounds caused by trauma, such as cuts and scratches, usually heal quickly without complications. They are treated by controlling bleeding, cleansing and covering the wound, and by applying a topical antibiotic ointment.

However, some people develop chronic (ongoing) wounds that are resistant to healing due to illness, surgery and other factors. It is important to learn to recognize a chronic or non-healing wound and to seek prompt medical attention for it.

The most common types of chronic wounds include pressure ulcers (bed sores), diabetic wounds and surgical wounds. If not treated properly, chronic wounds can have serious complications, including infection that spreads to other areas of the body, such as the heart's lining (endocarditis) or joints (septic arthritis).

Before treating a chronic wound, a physician may perform a physical examination, and collect a medical history and list of current medications, to determine why the wound is not healing properly. Chronic wounds are treated in a variety of ways, including antibiotic therapy for infections that may be slowing the healing process, irrigation to keep the wound clean and to prevent infection and the application of growth factors (proteins that stimulate cell growth) to the skin.