Position paper of the Initiative Chronische Wunde (ICW) e. V. on the nomenclature of debridement in chronic wounds

The nomenclature used today in wound treatment varies widely across different disciplines and professions. Therefore, it is a mission of the professional association Initiative Chronische Wunde (ICW) e. V. to exactly and comprehensibly describe terms that were previously unclear. Therefore, the experts of the ICW defined in a consensus procedure debridement of chronic wounds as the removal of adherent, dead tissue, scabs or foreign bodies from wounds. There are various therapy options for this, which can be differentiated into autolytic, biosurgical, mechanical, osmotic, proteolytic/enzymatic and technical debridement. In the case of surgical debridement, a distinction is also made between sharp debridements that can usually be performed on an outpatient basis, such as minor surgical procedures, and surgical debridements with adequate anaesthesia in an operating theatre. Wound irrigation is defined by the ICW as the removal of non-adherent components on wounds with sterile solutions. Debridement and/or wound irrigation are often the first step in phase-appropriate modern wound treatment. Several methods are suitable for use in a combined or successive therapy. When deciding which therapeutic option to use, a number of individually different factors should be taken into account, depending on the patients to be treated but also on the therapists. The final individual decision for a method should be made together with the patient in each case and then adequately documented.