wounds and ulcers: back to the old nomenclature .

Currently, most skin lesions are called wounds and primarily are divided into acute and chronic, the difference being the time period during which they have been in existence and/or their tendency to heal properly or not. Etiology is not taken into account when applying the definitions of chronic versus acute. The traditional definition of wounds and ulcers was based primarily on etiology, where a wound (now called an acute or surgical wound) was said to be caused by violence (eg, an outside force such as a bullet, a surgical incision) and an ulcer, presently called a chronic "wound," was defined as being caused by some kind of internal etiology (eg, venous hypertension with its secondary consequences to skin integrity). Based on the differences in etiology and physiology, morbidity and mortality, therapeutic options and requirements, and other aspects of different types of skin lesions, this author proposes to reinstitute the "old" nomenclature.