Certified Hyperbaric Technologist Practice Test

If a wound stops healing and becomes chronic, which phase is it usually stuck in?

1. Proliferation

2. Maturation

3. Hemostasis

4. Inflammation

The correct answer is: Inflammation

When a wound ceases to heal and becomes chronic, it is typically stuck in the inflammation phase. This phase is characterized by the body's initial response to injury, where inflammation occurs to protect the wound and initiate healing. In a normal healing process, the inflammation phase is followed by the proliferation phase, where new tissue forms, and finally the maturation phase, where the tissue strengthens and remodels. However, if a wound does not progress beyond inflammation, it may remain in a prolonged state of inflammation, which can lead to chronic wounds. Factors that contribute to this can include ongoing infection, poor blood supply, and persistent foreign bodies. The inability to progress through the different phases of wound healing often results in delayed healing and the persistence of inflammatory symptoms, such as redness, swelling, and pain. In contrast, the other phases, such as hemostasis, proliferation, and maturation, represent stages that occur sequentially after inflammation and typically do not dominate a chronic wound scenario. Hemostasis is the initial phase where bleeding is controlled, proliferation involves tissue formation, and maturation is about the strengthening and remodeling of the tissue. Therefore, the inflammation phase is crucial in understanding why wounds can become chronic when healing is compromised.