Lower extremity wound characteristics

One of the most important and often one of the most difficult steps in wound management is to determine the aetiology (cause) of the wound. Incorrect wound identification can result in delayed or even no healing, be a big waste of money, cause pain and suffering to the patient and can even get you in big trouble. Determining wound aetiology requires a comprehensive and holistic wound assessment with a full review of clinical characteristics, systemic, psychosocial and local factors that affect wound healing. Some prominent clinical findings can assist in prompt identification of wound aetiology. Below is a chart of some of the most common findings of lower extremity wounds.

Table 1.

Lower extremity wound characteristics