(slŭf) n. 1. Medicine A layer or mass of dead tissue separated from surrounding living tissue, as in a wound, sore, or inflammation.
Does Slough mean a wound is healing?
Slough is considered the by-product of the inflammatory phase of wound healing. An essential component of wound bed preparation is the removal of slough from a wound bed. Slough not only contributes to delayed wound healing, it also prevents an accurate wound assessment and can also harbour biofilms.
What does a Sloughy wound look like?
Slough: Devitalised tissue containing white blood cells and wound debris. Appears yellow/white and can be soft or leathery, and thick or thin. Requires removal to facilitate healing.
Does Slough indicate infection?
Slough (also necrotic tissue) is a non-viable fibrous yellow tissue (which may be pale, greenish in colour or have a washed out appearance) formed as a result of infection or damaged tissue in the wound.
What does Slough mean on a wound?
The wound bed may be covered with necrotic tissue (non-viable tissue due to reduced blood supply), slough (dead tissue, usually cream or yellow in colour), or eschar (dry, black, hard necrotic tissue). Such tissue impedes healing.
What removes slough from a wound?
Wound irrigation, the use of cleansing solutions or a cleansing pad (e.g. Debrisoft®; Activa Healthcare), or the use of dressings – such as hydrogel sheets, honey or iodine cadexomers – can be used to remove slough by clinicians with minimal training.
What stage wound has Slough?
Stage 4: Full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon or muscle. Slough or eschar may be present on some parts of the wound bed. Often include undermining and tunneling.
What is the best dressing to remove Slough?
AIM: Remove slough and absorb exudate. Use hydroactive dressings, or alginate dressings covered by a foam dressing. Primary dressing examples: alginate; hydrofiber; or hydroactive. Secondary dressing examples: high absorbent non-adherent dressing; or foam.
Is Slough pus?
Slough is made up of white blood cells, bacteria and debris, as well as dead tissue, and is easily confused with pus, which is often present in an infected wound (Figs 3 and 4).
Does Slough need debridement?
In those wounds that contain only slough, high-risk debridement methods are not considered necessary for its removal. The use of mechanical techniques for removing the slough is regarded as posing a much lower risk to the patient and the wound bed.
Why does Slough develop?
Slough is a nonspecific term used to describe several different presentations of nonviable tissue within the wound bed, created by prolonged inflammation and repetitive injury.
Does hydrogen peroxide remove Slough?
Hydrogen peroxide generally has the ability to kill off the unviable tissue which can then be easily removed as soft necrotic slough.
What does a slough look like?
Sloughs along the edges of rivers form where the old channel of the river once flowed. These areas are also referred to as oxbows because they tend to form at a bend in the old river bed, making them look like the U-shaped collar placed around the neck of an ox to which a plow is attached.
Should I wash Slough?
We’ve all heard about slough… most of us have seen it, debrided it, and even watched it change from wet (stringy, moist, yellow) to dry eschar (thick, leathery, black). Slough is necrotic tissue that needs to be removed from the wound for healing to take place.
Does honey get rid of Slough?
‘Manuka honey promotes autolytic debridement by drawing water from skin cells via osmosis, which rehydrates, softens and liquefies hard eschar and slough.
Does Slough in a wound smell?
An easy way to determine if the wound is still exhibiting signs of slough and not purulence is the odor. Wounds generally give off an odor while draining, so it’s imperative to remove and dispose of the old dressing first then cleanse the wound thoroughly before documenting the wound’s state.
Will slough go away on its own?
In most cases, your own healing process will kick in and begin repairing injured tissues. If there is any tissue that dies, your naturally-occurring enzymes will dissolve it, or the skin will slough off. You should only need debridement if you have a serious or chronic wound that doesn’t respond to your immune system.
How can I tell if a wound is healing?
A scar forms and the wound becomes stronger. As healing continues, you may notice that the area itches. After the scab falls off, the area may look stretched, red, and shiny. The scar that forms will be smaller than the original wound.
Should you Debride Slough?
Slough is marked by its color, which can be yellow, tan, gray, green, or brown. It can be stringy and loose or thick and adherent to the wound bed. It is imperative that slough be debrided to kick-start the healing process and allow for the ingrowth of healthy granulation tissue.
What dressing is good for Slough?
AIM: Remove slough and absorb exudate. Use hydroactive dressings, or alginate dressings covered by a foam dressing. Primary dressing examples: alginate; hydrofiber; or hydroactive. Secondary dressing examples: high absorbent non-adherent dressing; or foam.