Wound Healing: Alternatives in Management, 2d ed.

McCulloch JM, Kloth LC, Feedar JA, eds. Philadelphia, PA 19103-1493, FA Davis Co, 1995 hardback, 442 pp, illus, $36.

This is the second edition of this text, which is one of the titles in the FA Davis Contemporary Perspectives in Rehabilitation series. The editors have organized material from several contributors into a valuable book that encompasses many important aspects of wound healing. The preface suggests that the purpose of this work is to strengthen wound care-related knowledge and skills, and the text is appropriately targeted for those involved in wound care management.

This book is divided into three sections. The first section examines the wound healing model and includes chapters on inflammation, the role of connective tissue in healing, contraction, reepitheliazation, complications, bacteriology, and nutrition. Each chapter is useful for a basic understanding of wound healing, and each is well written and germane to the purpose. The chapters on connective tissue and contraction/reepithelialization present wound care details that are not only of basic importance but have direct clinical relevance as well. The chapters on bacteriology and nutrition are very important because these issues have a significant impact on wound healing but are not commonly addressed in this type of book. The bacteriology chapter presents particularly practical information about wound infections and how these infections are identified. The chapter on nutrition makes the point that healing wounds requires care beyond topical treatments.

The second section includes only one chapter on evaluation of the wound. This chapter provides a concise yet comprehensive review of the important principles and techniques of wound evaluation. Although many readers may want to see more information on this subject, more details might have led to redundancy or confusion. The material presented on objective evaluation is sufficient for most wound care practices. Evaluation of bum wounds is conspicuously absent; however, it must be understood that the publisher also has a separate burn care text in this publication series.

Section 3 focuses on wound treatment. The chapter on management of chronic wounds includes a useful account of wound debridement and wound dressings. Management of wounds caused by pressure or vascular insufficiency are given extensive attention in other chapters of this section. Once again, the absence of any reference to burn wounds in a general wound healing book is noticeable. The chapters on treatment encompass the affects of electrical stimulation, ultrasound, light, heat, electromagnetic energy, and oxygen on wound healing. The detail of proposed and demonstrated mechanism of action in these chapters is impressive. Each of these chapters contributes details of the mechanisms of hearing and the role of these therapies on the process of wound healing. This explanation of the qualities of these interventions provides particularly relevant information to physical therapists who treat wounds in the current competitive health care market.

This book could serve as a worthwhile tool for both clinicians and students, and would be an excellent reference for any physical therapy clinical library. The book is well organized and quite readable. The text provides good background of wound repair and much reasonable rationale for wound treatment. The book contributes details about wound healing in general and would assist the process of clinical decision making.

R Scott Ward, PhD, PT Univ of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 

Dr Ward is codirector of the division of physical therapy and staff at the Intermountain Burn Center. He is active in research and publication in the area of bum care.