plaies

Plaies is a term that appears in historical or cross-linguistic medical usage to denote wounds or injuries to body tissue. In modern English, the ordinary word is wounds, with plaie/plaies seen mainly in French-derived medical contexts. Wounds result from disruption of the skin and underlying tissues and can range from minor abrasions to deep, life‑threatening lesions.

Wounds are commonly classified by depth, openness, and contamination. Superficial wounds affect only the epidermis; deeper injuries involve subcutaneous tissue, muscle, or bone. Open wounds break the skin surface and can be clean, contaminated, infected, or dirty. Closed wounds result from blunt trauma without a break in the skin. Burn injuries, puncture wounds, lacerations, abrasions, and surgical wounds are typical examples. The cause may be mechanical, thermal, chemical, or electrical, and patient factors such as age, nutrition, circulation, and comorbidities influence healing.

Healing proceeds in phases: hemostasis to stop bleeding, inflammation to clear debris and microbes, proliferation with tissue formation and wound edges coming together, and remodeling where scar tissue strengthens the area. Adequate blood flow, infection control, nutrition, and moisture balance support healing; infection, ongoing trauma, or poor circulation can delay it.

Assessment focuses on location, size, depth, involvement of nerves or vessels, and signs of infection. Management ranges from cleansing and dressing to debridement or closure when appropriate. Tetanus status should be updated if needed. For burns and chronic wounds, specialized care and treatment of underlying conditions are often required. Complications include infection, sepsis, scarring, and functional impairment.

Prevention emphasizes protection from injury, proper wound care, hygiene, and vaccination against tetanus.