ABSTRACT
Wound repair is a common theme for all surgical subspecialties. The principles of wound closure and tissue handling that are practiced by a plastic surgeon should be no different from those practiced by a cardiac or laparoscopic surgeon. Because we know very little about the cellular and molecular processes required for normal wound repair, controlling the response to injury has not yet been clinically successful. As surgeons, we must use clinical judgment and good technique to optimize our patients’ results. This chapter presents a brief outline of what is known about concepts related to normal wound healing and addresses a few of the complications and failures associated with the repair processes.
