EUROPEAN  TISSUE  REPAIR  SOCIETY

THE ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS OF INFECTION IN WOUNDS
Lesa Hobright, CRA, and Robert Vosskuhler, MD

A human being’s normal state is not germ-free even in the absence of clinical infection. Certain bacteria and fungi normally inhabit the skin and populate a wound in a commensal relationship that acts to limit the population of so-called invasive, pathogenic microorganisms. In health, there exists a delicate balance which allows a person to survive in the presence of a great number of bacterial species, even when no infection is present (Robson, et al, 1973). But what is infection, how is it diagnosed, and is it clinically practical and efficient?

1. What is infection?
2. Bacterial Burden
3. Methods of Assessing Infection
4. Acute and Chronic Wounds
5. Cost
6. Conclusion