Abstract
This is part one of a 2-part series on wound care and laceration repair for advanced practice nurses. The purpose of this article is to outline the phases and categories of wound healing and to discuss factors that affect wound healing. This article also describes an approach for systematic wound management so as to decrease the risk for infection of nonsurgical wounds. Patient assessment, special circumstances involving underlying structures, and foreign bodies are also discussed herein. Patient preparation, including wound cleansing, irrigation, scrubbing, and debridement are also covered along with anesthetic and analgesic tips and techniques for the advanced practice nurses in emergency care.