Pediatric Wound Care and Management in the Emergency Department

• Risk factors for poor wound healing include smoking, peripheral vascular disease, poorly controlled diabetes, steroid use, immunocompromised states, obesity, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, cutis laxa, pseudoxanthoma elasticum, and poor nutrition.
• If there is concern for a nonradiopaque foreign body in the wound, consider soft-tissue ultrasound.
• Clean the wound with 50 mL to 100 mL of irrigation solution per cm of laceration length to clear all debris from the wound. Pressure of 5 to 8 psi is strong enough to overcome the adhesive forces of bacteria.

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