The pH Value Changes During Wound Healing Process.

Jeong, Jae Hoon; Lee, Sang Woo; Chang, Hak; Minn, Kyung Won

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 2008;35(3):243-247.
Published online May 1, 2008.

The pH Value Changes During Wound Healing Process.

Jae Hoon Jeong, Sang Woo Lee, Hak Chang, Kyung Won Minn

Research Institute of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. minnkw@snu.ac.kr

Abstract

PURPOSE
For a proper wound care, the correct evaluation of wound is very important. Usually the evaluation of wound was subjective, and as a result, wound care was empirical. There were many attempts to objectify the wound evaluation, and one of them was measurement of the wound pH. The purpose of this study is to observe the wound pH changes during wound healing phase. METHODS: From 2005 to 2007, we measured the pH values of 6 acute wounds, which were split thickness skin graft donor sites. In addition, we measured the pH values of 18 chronic wounds, which were 17 pressure sores and 1 tuberculosis ulcer. After pH meter (SkinCheck1(R), Hanna Instruments, Italy) was calibrated, wound pH was checked. Wound was cleansed with saline gauze and dressed with polyurethane foam dressing(Medifoam(R), Biopol, Korea).
RESULTS
In split thickness skin graft donor sites, the pH raised(mean pH value: 7.45-<7.62) when the wound was on the process of healing(*p=0.027, analysis of Wilcoxon signed-rank test). If wound became re-epithelialised, the pH value dropped to that of normal skin. However, we could not find a relation between time and the pH values in chronic wound.
CONCLUSION
We could observe the consistent wound pH changes during wound healing phase in acute wound.

Keywords: pH; Wound healing