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Debridement is the process of removing of non-living tissue from the wound.  It is the single most important treatment that can be done to assist in wound healing.  It is a very specialized procedure that takes training to perform correctly.

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The most common form of debridement is call sharp debridement.  This includes removal of non-viable tissue with sharp instruments like a scalpel or scissors.  This can be done without anesthesia, because since we are removing non-living tissue, there is no pain associated with this treatment. 

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Another type of debridement used is mechanical debridement, which involves removing the tissue by an outside force, like scraping the wound bed with a piece of gauze (soft abrasion debridement) or a curette.  The used of pulsed lavage with suction is another example of mechanical debridement.  

 

Other types of debridement offered at Lehigh Valley Wound Specialists may include autolytic debridement and enzymatic debridement.  Autolytic debridement consists of using specialized dressings to allow the body's own endogenous enzymes to break down the non-viable tissue.  And finally enzymatic debridement includes the use of topical enzymatic debriding agents to assist in the breakdown of necrotic tissue.