What is the purpose of Debridement?

Debridement is a medical procedure aimed at removing dead, damaged, or infected tissue from a wound or surgical site. The primary purpose of this process is to prevent infection and promote healing. By cleansing the wound of unhealthy tissue, debridement helps to create an optimal environment for healing, and it can facilitate the formation of healthy granulation tissue, which is crucial for recovery. This is essential in preventing complications such as infection that can arise from the presence of necrotic tissue.

While scar tissue formation and reducing inflammation can be outcomes of the healing process, they are not the main goals of debridement itself. Administering medication into a wound is also not a function of debridement; instead, it is a separate treatment approach that may follow the debridement process, depending on the wound’s condition. The focus of debridement remains solidly on cleaning the wound to support effective healing.