Flexible learning plan by Cat Rice.

1. FLEXIBLE
LEARNING
Cat Rice

5. Element 2
Treat animal wounds according to
instruction.
Performance criteria
2.1 Wound is kept as aseptic as possible,
and cleaned and flushed as directed by the
veterinarian.

6. PHASES OF WOUND HEALING
The phases of wound healing include inflammation, repair and remodelling.
Inflammatory Phase: Inflammation is the body’s initial vascular and cellular response to injury. It helps protect against foreign materials
and invaders, removes dead tissues and sets the stage for tissue repair. The inflammatory processes are initiated by release of
chemicals from damaged cells and tissues.
For a few minutes after an acute injury, the blood vessels in the area constrict to limit haemorrhage. This transient period of
vasoconstriction is quickly followed by dilation of the blood vessels in the area. Vasodilatation allows blood to flow into the wound and
clot. The surface of blood clots exposed externally often dehydrates to form a scab which serves as an initial protective covering over the
wound.
Blood in the dilated vessels carries antibodies, nutrients and white blood cells into the damaged area. The antibodies help provide a first
line of defence against micro organisms. The nutrients are needed to “fuel” the cleanup and repair processes. The white blood cells,
principally neutrophils and monocytes, begin the cleanup process by breaking down and removing foreign material, dead cells, bacteria
and tissue debris.
Repair Phase: The processes of repair which consist of capillary infiltration, fibroblast proliferation and epithelial regeneration, begin
almost immediately after injury and proceed as rapidly as the inflammatory mechanisms clean up the wound. In uncomplicated wounds,
the repair phase is usually in full swing by about 3-5 days after the initial injury.
Capillaries begin growing into the damaged area initially as blind-ended “buds” off the healthy, undamaged vessels surrounding the
wound. The buds join together to form intact capillaries. The developing capillary network further increases the blood supply to the healing
area.
With enhanced blood supply to the wound, fibroblasts proliferate and begin producing collagen fibres. These fibres make up the scar
tissue that begins giving the wound some strength.
The soft bright red tissue formed by the proliferating fibroblasts and capillaries is termed granulation tissue. A “bed” of granulation tissue
must form in a skin wound before epithelium can regenerate to cover the surface of the wound.
Remodelling Phase: The remodelling phase is the final stage of wound healing. It primarily involves rearrangement of the collagen fibres
in the scar to increase the strength of the healed wound. This phase begins 4 weeks after the initial injury in an uncomplicated wound,
when all of the collagen fibres have been formed and may continue for years. There is little or no change in the outward appearance of a
wound during this phase.
TYPES OF WOUND HEALING
First-intention Healing: In a wound undergoing first-intention healing, there is minimal tissue damage and minimal microbial
contamination, and the skin edges are opposed (held together), usually by sutures. Healing generally proceeds smoothly, with minimal
scar tissue formation. Most surgical wounds heal by first intention.
Second Intention Healing: A wound that is healing by second intention usually has had significant tissue damage and loss.
Contamination may be extensive and the wound is left to heal open. In addition to the wound healing mechanisms described above,
wound contraction helps reduce the size of an open wound as it heals. Once a granulation tissue bed forms, the wound usually begins to
contract by movement of the whole thickness of the surrounding skin toward the centre of the wound. This greatly decreases the amount
of time necessary for the wound to close, though in some cases it may cause deformity or restrict movement if the skin is tightly adhered
to the underlying structures or the wound is over a joint.
Third-Intention Healing: A wound that is healing by third intention is allowed to heal open until a granulation tissue bed forms, then it is
sutured closed.

8. Strategy
1) Adobe Sessions
2) Forum Discussion
3) TED ed