• High pressure irrigation of wounds reduces contamination by overcoming bacterial adhesion and physically dislodging dirt and debris.
• Lavage of chronic wounds helps to remove purulent discharge, bacterial contamination, and fibrin. 

• Wounds.

Advantages

• 80% of soil infection-potentiating factors removed with 10-15 psi.

Disadvantages

• Fluid trapping or diversion due to improper egress.

• Swabbing techniques: often merely re-distribute bacteria and are more traumatic.

Preparation

• Depends on the size and depth of the wound: 5-15 mins. 

Procedure

• Depends on the size and depth of the wound: 5-30 mins. 

Criteria for choosing procedure

• Open wounds.
• Infected surgical sites.
• Infected closed wounds.

Risk assessment

• Patient temperament/behavior.

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Eggleston R B (2018) Wound management: wounds with special challenges.Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 34 (3), 511-538 PubMed. 
• Ludwig E K & van Harreveld P D (2018) Equine wounds over synovial structures. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 34 (3), 575-590 PubMed. 
• Maher M & Kuebelbeck L (2018) Nonhealing wounds of the equine limb. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 34 (3), 539-555 PubMed. 
• Caston S S (2012) Wound care in horses. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 28 (1), 83-100 PubMed. 
• Quinn G (2010) Equine practice: management of large wounds in horses. In Pract 32 (8), 370-381 VetMedResource.
• Theoret C (2005) Wound management. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 21 (1), 1-240 ScienceDirect.

Other sources of information

• Hendrickson D A (2019) Superficial Wounds, Deep and Chronic Wounds, Sinus Tracts, and Fistulas. In: Equine Surgery. 5th edn. Eds: Auer J A & Stick J. St. Saunders, USA. pp 403-425.