Acute wound: Alteration in skin integrity such as a simple laceration or a surgical wound that moves normally through the healing process and heals in a predictable timeframe without complication.

Antibiotic resistant: Organisms that have the ability to alter themselves genetically so that antibiotics do not have an inhibitory or lethal effect on them, thus allowing continued proliferation.

Antimicrobial resistant: Microorganism such as bacteria, viruses, and some parasites with the ability to resist antimicrobial agents.

Chronic wound: A wound that has not shown signs of significant improvement or progress toward healing within 30 days of onset.

Colonization: The presence of bacteria within the wound that multiply or initiate the host reaction.

Contamination: The presence of non-replicating bacteria. The host controls the environment, and healing is not impaired by these bacteria.

Critical colonization: The proliferation of bacteria in the host, resulting in delayed wound healing, but still without an overt host reaction. Usually associated with increased pain previously not reported.

Hospital-acquired infection: Infections are caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens; the most common types are bloodstream infection (BSI), pneumonia (eg, ventilator-associated pneumonia [VAP]), urinary tract infection (UTI), and surgical site infection (SSI).

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites with an associated host reaction.

Multidrug-resistant organism: Bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and viruses that have developed resistance to antimicrobial drugs.

Needle aspiration culture: Culture performed on tissue or fluid obtained by aspiration with a fine-gauge needle.

Normothermia: Condition of normal body temperature or an environmental temperature that does not cause more or less activity of body cells.