Wound Environment Physiology

The disturbance of the immediate wound environment starts first with a rise in pH, since the traumatic damaged tissue delivers, due to the disturbed cell respiration, less CO2 into the tissue. Since the pH value of blood and tissue depends crucially on pCO2, a drop in the pCO2 causes a pH disturbance in the environment and thus affects the entire metabolism. The change of the biochemical reaction conditions connected with acidosis (acidifying the tissue by CO2-constriction) represents a biochemical condition required for the optimal metabolic sequence and a fast and thorough repair.

Important effects of acidosis:

1. Increase in cell membrane and blood vessel permeability
2. Liquefaction of the connective tissue (by separation of the colloids)
3. Acidosis represents an unfavorable environment for many bacteria
4. Acceleration of the metabolic process by relieved O2 release from hemoglobin and facilitated O2 delivery of the blood to the tissue (Bohr effect).
5. Favorable environment for enzymatic metabolic processes.