Which factors impair wound healing?

Prepare for the Tissue Injury, Healing, and Pain Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations. Ensure you're ready for the exam!

Wound healing falters when delivery of blood, oxygen, and nutrients is disrupted and when the body's defenses and repair processes are compromised. The factors listed include poor perfusion or ischemia, which directly limits oxygen and nutrient supply to tissues; infection, which sustains damaging inflammation and tissue destruction; diabetes mellitus, which impairs collagen synthesis and immune function; malnutrition (protein/calorie deficiency and zinc), essential for cell growth, collagen formation, and immune response; steroids or immunosuppression, which blunt inflammatory and fibroblast activity necessary for repair; advanced age, which slows cell replication and new vessel formation; smoking, which causes vasoconstriction and reduced tissue oxygen; and impaired oxygenation, which deprives healing cells of the oxygen they need to function. When these elements are present, the wound healing process is significantly delayed or compromised.

The other options describe conditions that generally support healing rather than hinder it. Excessive perfusion and hyperoxia can actually aid healing, while adequate nutrition and optimal oxygenation promote repair. Regular exercise and hydration are favorable for overall health and can enhance healing, not impair it.