Normal processes and restraints in wound healing.

Wound healing normally follows an uninterrupted course but, for the purposes of description, it can be considered in four phases -- hemostasis, acute inflammation, repair and consolidation. Arrest of healing may occur at any phase and lead to a number of clinical problems. Repair cannot begin until the phase of acute inflammation has begun to subside; this fact is of special importance in clinical surgery. Wound healing in gastrointestinal tract and abdominal incisions is emphasized because healing problems are common in these areas and failure to heal results in morbidity and a regrettable mortality.