Catastrophic Wounds

Abstract

Background:

This article summarizes information presented at the Wound Healing Subspecialty Symposium of the Annual Conference of the Canadian Dermatology Association held in Ottawa in June 2012.

Objective:

To provide continuing medical education on wound healing for dermatologists.

Methods:

A review of the pertinent literature was performed by the author in order to prepare the lecture and subsequent article.

Results:

The review found that necrotizing faciitis, hypertensive ulceration, antiphospholipid syndrome and α₁-antitrypsin syndrome are entities that contribute to catastrophic wounds seen in wound healing clinics and in private offices.

Conclusion:

It is most important to have a high index of suspicion for these four conditions because early diagnosis can be life-***saving with necrotizing faciitis, pain-relieving in ulcers caused by hypertension, and antiphospholipid syndrome, and can result in early treatment in α₁-antitrypsin deficiency.