Irritative potency of selected wound antiseptics in the hen's egg test on chorioallantoic membrane to predict their compatibility to wounds

Antiseptics are being used for prevention of infections in acute wounds and for treatment of infections in acute and chronic wounds. However, some antiseptics' high tissue toxicity might delay the healing process. The aim of this study was to investigate the tissue toxicity of preferentially used wound antiseptics and the influence of antiphlogistic additives via the hen's egg test on the chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM). The HET-CAM is a semi-in-vivo method testing the tissue tolerability of wound antiseptics by evaluating the blood vessel reaction of the chorioallantoic membrane in terms of hemorrhage, vessel lysis, and coagulation. For each test day, selected test substances were applied on the membranes of two to three eggs according to the test protocol. The overall irritation was then evaluated by referring to a calculated score. Normal distribution of the resulting scores was confirmed by D'Agostino-Pearson omnibus K2 test. Significant differences between the antiseptics were calculated by Tukey's multiple comparisons test. Severe CAM reactions were observed after short-term application of octenidine based wound gel (0.05%) and chlorhexidine digluconate (0.5% solution), moderate reactions for octenidine (0.05%) in aqueous solution combined with dexpanthenol (1.34%) and allantoin (0.2%) or for hydrogen peroxide (1.5% and 0.5%) in aqueous solution, slight reactions were observed for hydrogen peroxide (1.5%) in aqueous solution in combination with sodium thiocyanate (0.698%) and for the combination of NaOCl/HOCl (each 0.004%). Polyhexanide (0.04%) in Ringer solution and polyhexanide (0.05%) in Lipofundin, the hemoglobin spray (10%), dexpanthenol, and allantoin showed no irritation. The HET-CAM qualifies as a primary screening test for tissue tolerance of wound antiseptics. Regarding local tolerability, polyhexanide and hypochlorite are superior to other antiseptics.

Topical oxygen therapy stimulates healing in difficult, chronic wounds: a tertiary centre experience

OBJECTIVE

Oxygen plays a central role in wound healing. Recent technological advances have miniaturised oxygen delivery systems, with novel topical oxygen therapy allowing patients to receive oxygen therapy 24 hours a day while remaining completely mobile. Here we aim to examine the efficacy and safety of continuous topical oxygen diffusion in a 'real-world' setting.

METHODS

Topical oxygen therapy (TOT) was evaluated in patients with chronic, non-healing wounds in a tertiary referral specialist clinic.

RESULTS

The mean wound duration before TOT was 15 months. Regardless of treatment duration, in this previously non-healing group complete wound closure was observed in 32% of the total patients treated with the TOT device. However, optimal wound healing occurred when the device was used for >25 days, with an 83% wound area reduction and 47% wound closure rate seen in venous leg ulcers (VLUs) and a 74% reduction and a 57% wound closure rate in arterial foot ulcers.

CONCLUSION

Use of TOT in chronic wounds stimulates a healing state. In our study, almost half of the previously non-healing wounds closed.

Topical oxygenation therapy in wound care: are patients getting enough?

Wound management is a major burden on today's healthcare provider, both clinically with regard to available resources and financially. Most importantly, it has a significant impact on the patient's quality of life and experience. Within the field of wound care these pressures, alongside an ageing population, multiple comorbidities, disease processes and negative lifestyle choices, increase incidences of reduced skin integrity and challenging wounds. In an attempt to meet these challenges alternative, innovative therapies are being explored to support the wound healing process. Wound care experts are now exploring the scientific, biological aspects of wound healing at a cellular level. They are taking wound care back to basics with the identification of elements that, if introduced as an 'adjunct' or as a stand-alone device alongside gold-standard regimens, can positively impact the static or problematic wounds that pose the most challenges to clinicians on a daily basis. This article explores the phenomenon of oxygen, its place in tissue formation and the effect of depletion on the wound healing process and highlights ways in which patients may receive benefit from non-invasive intervention to improve wound care outcomes.