The white tissue in the wound bed is slough.
Slough is a type of dead tissue that appears as a soft, white or yellow stringy material that often covers the wound bed and indicates the wound is stuck in the inflammatory phase of healing.
The slough in the wound bed needs to be removed in order to promote proper healing.
Slough in a wound bed consists of dead cells, white blood cells, cellular debris and fibrin.
The slough can also be soft, thick, stringy or patchy with a yellow, tan or white color.
Slough in the wound bed impedes the wound healing by creating a barrier for any new tissue growth and increases risk of infection.
When you have slough in the wound bed it requires removal through debridement to clean the wound bed and allow for healthy granulation tissue to form.
Chronic wounds may be covered by white or yellow shiny fibrinous tissue.
This tissue is avascular, and the wound healing will proceed only when it has been removed.
The removal can be done with a scalpel at the bedside.