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David Rind
drind@caregroup.harvard.edu
>>>Is there another word or phrase for "healing by first intent"?
>>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> intention" would be the standard english medical phrase for what the OP
> was asking about.
"Primary intention" refers to apposition of the wound edges, IOW physician
closure of the wound...skin grafting at the time of the incision would also
fall into this category. The point is to minimize wound contraction, a
classic part of wound healing. Wound contraction is exacerbated in healing
by secondary intention, and this contraction contributes to unsightly
scarring and functional impairment in some cases such as across joints. In
some cases of a wound at high risk for infection, healing by *delayed*
primary intention is implemented, which generally refers to leaving the
wound open for a few days, debriding then closing the wound. Again, the
closure in this case is done by the physician to minimize wound contraction.
You could also call it "primary wound closure" or "delayed primary closure".
We're getting into semantics from the time of Halsted here.
HMc
Mark & Steven Bornfeld - 13 Apr 2005 17:56 GMT
>>>>Is there another word or phrase for "healing by first intent"?
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> HMc
I've seen wounds that were closed with good apposition of tissue edges,
but later break down, perhaps due to hematoma or infection, and wind up
granulating in. In this case perhaps closure is primary INTENT, but
healing is by granulation (ie:secondary healing).
Yeah, it's semantics ;-)
Steve

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Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001
The Last Danish Pastry - 17 Apr 2005 22:00 GMT
> [snip]
My thanks to all those who contributed to this thread. Thank you.

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Clive Tooth
http://www.clivetooth.dk