Wound Care Glossary
Wound care comes with a lot of medical vocabulary. This glossary explains the terms you are most likely to hear from a clinician, hospital, or insurance plan — in plain English.
- Arterial ulcer
- A wound, usually on the foot, toes, or lower leg, caused by poor blood flow through the arteries. Because the tissue is not getting enough oxygen, these wounds are often painful and slow to heal.
- Cellular and tissue-based products (CTPs)
- Advanced biological dressings, sometimes called skin substitutes or skin grafts, applied to wounds that have stopped healing. They deliver proteins and structure that encourage the body to grow new tissue.
- Chronic wound
- A wound that has not shown meaningful signs of healing after about 30 days of standard care. Diabetic foot ulcers, pressure injuries, and venous leg ulcers are the most common types.
- Compression therapy
- The use of special bandages or stockings that gently squeeze the leg to help blood flow back toward the heart. It is the cornerstone of treatment for venous leg ulcers and related swelling.
- Debridement
- The removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue from a wound so healthy tissue can grow. It can be done with instruments at the bedside (sharp debridement), with special gels (enzymatic), or with dressings (mechanical).
- Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU)
- An open sore on the foot of a person with diabetes, usually caused by a combination of nerve damage (which reduces feeling) and reduced blood flow. Left untreated, these wounds can lead to serious infection or amputation.
- Edema
- The medical word for swelling caused by fluid trapped in the body's tissues, most often in the legs, ankles, and feet. Ongoing edema makes wounds harder to heal.
- Epithelialization
- The stage of healing when new skin cells grow across the surface of a wound and close it. When a clinician says a wound is 'epithelializing,' the wound is closing.
- Eschar
- Dead tissue on a wound that is dry, thick, and dark (often black or brown). It usually needs to be removed by a clinician before the wound underneath can heal.
- Granulation tissue
- The healthy, bumpy, red tissue that fills in a healing wound from the bottom up. Its presence is a good sign that a wound is healing.
- Home health agency
- A licensed organization that sends nurses and aides to a patient's home for services like daily dressing changes. Mobile wound care physicians work alongside home health nurses, not in place of them.
- Infection (wound infection)
- When bacteria multiply in a wound and cause damage. Warning signs include increasing redness, warmth, swelling, pain, foul odor, pus, or fever. A wound infection needs prompt medical attention.
- Medicare Part B
- The part of Medicare that covers doctor visits and outpatient care, including medically necessary wound care visits delivered in a patient's home by a licensed clinician.
- Mobile wound care
- Physician-led wound treatment delivered where the patient lives — a private home, assisted living community, or skilled nursing facility — instead of requiring travel to a clinic.
- Necrotic tissue
- Tissue that has died, usually because of infection or lack of blood flow. It appears black, brown, or yellow and must typically be removed for the wound to heal.
- Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT)
- A treatment, often called a 'wound vac,' that uses gentle suction through a sealed dressing to remove fluid, reduce swelling, and help certain deep wounds close faster.
- Non-healing wound
- Another name for a chronic wound — any wound that is not getting measurably better after about 30 days of standard treatment. It is the main sign that specialist wound care is needed.
- Offloading
- Taking pressure off a wound so it can heal — for example, special boots or shoe inserts for diabetic foot ulcers, or repositioning schedules and cushions for pressure injuries.
- Osteomyelitis
- An infection that has spread into the bone, a serious complication of deep or long-standing wounds. It usually requires antibiotics and close specialist management.
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
- Narrowing of the arteries in the legs that reduces blood flow. PAD is a major reason foot and leg wounds fail to heal, and may need to be treated before a wound can close.
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Nerve damage, common in diabetes, that reduces feeling in the feet. A person may not notice a cut or blister, which is how many diabetic foot ulcers begin.
- Pressure injury (pressure ulcer, bedsore)
- Damage to skin and underlying tissue caused by prolonged pressure, usually over bony areas like the tailbone, hips, and heels. Common in people with limited mobility. Staged 1 (mild) through 4 (severe).
- Sharp debridement
- The removal of dead tissue by a trained clinician using sterile instruments. It is one of the most effective ways to restart healing in a stalled wound and can be done at the bedside.
- Skilled nursing facility (SNF)
- A licensed facility that provides 24-hour nursing care and rehabilitation. Mobile wound specialists visit residents in SNFs so patients do not need to travel out for wound treatment.
- Skin substitute
- The everyday name for cellular and tissue-based products — advanced biological grafts placed on stubborn wounds to encourage new tissue growth. Covered by Medicare Part B when medically necessary.
- Slough
- Soft, moist, yellow or white dead tissue in a wound bed. Like eschar, it usually needs to be removed so healthy tissue can grow.
- Stage (of a pressure injury)
- A 1-to-4 rating of how deep a pressure injury goes. Stage 1 is intact but reddened skin; Stage 4 reaches muscle or bone. Higher stages take longer to heal and need specialist care.
- Venous leg ulcer (venous stasis ulcer)
- A shallow, often weepy wound on the lower leg or ankle caused by weakened leg veins that let blood pool. The most common type of leg ulcer, usually treated with compression therapy.
- Wound bed
- The visible base of an open wound. Clinicians describe its color and tissue type (granulation, slough, eschar) to track whether a wound is healing.
- Wound care specialist
- A physician, nurse practitioner, or nurse with advanced training in the assessment and treatment of complex and non-healing wounds.
- Wound vac
- The common name for negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) — a small pump and sealed dressing that use gentle suction to help deep wounds heal.
Have a question about a wound?
Licensed physicians and nurse practitioners provide advanced wound care in the home across California and Nevada. Medicare Part B accepted.