Signs of Poor Wound Healing: When to Seek Professional Help
What are signs of poor wound healing?
The Quick Answer
Key signs include **persistent slough/eschar beyond 7 days, expanding wound size, foul odor, purulent drainage, surrounding erythema spreading >2cm, unrelenting pain, or no size reduction after 2 weeks**. Systemic signs like fever or malaise indicate possible infection requiring immediate care—especially critical for diabetic or vascular-compromised patients.
Why We Ask This
Patients normalize slow healing due to age or comorbidities, missing windows for effective intervention until wounds become severely infected or require amputation—particularly dangerous in neuropathic patients who lack pain feedback.
The Practical Science
Poor healing correlates with specific biomarkers: elevated wound fluid MMP-8 (>20ng/mL), bacterial bioburden >10⁵ CFU/g, and tissue oxygenation <40mmHg. Clinically, failure to transition from inflammation to proliferation by day 7 predicts chronicity.
In Clinical Practice
A venous leg ulcer showing increased yellow slough coverage at week 3—instead of expected granulation—signals healing failure requiring vascular assessment and advanced therapies like negative pressure wound therapy to restart the healing cascade.
References & Context
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