Real World Evaluations of a New Enhanced Antimicrobial Dressing in the Management of Chronic, Non-Healing Wounds

Introduction: The problem of chronic, non-healing wounds continues to place burden on patients, care givers and heath care budgets alike, with the global advanced wound care spend exceeding $10 billion in 2017. Local infection is known to delay wound healing, and it is now increasingly accepted that biofilm development is a precursor to local infection, and so is a primary cause of wound chronicity (1-4). A new, enhanced antimicrobial dressing (AAA) is available with a unique formulation containing sodium-silver carboxymethylcellulose with the excipients di-sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate and benzethonium chloride. These two excipients enhance the performance of ionic silver by providing more rapid and sustained antimicrobial activity, as demonstrated in vitro.

Aim: The aim of this real world clinical evaluation was to assess the efficacy of this AAA dressing in chronic, non-healing wounds, that were previously not responding as expected to standard wound management strategies. 

Methods: In this case series of 75 patients, non-healing chronic wounds were managed as previously, but with the addition of the AAA dressing to protocols as the primary dressing. Standard secondary dressings and wound bed preparation techniques were used throughout the study, in accordance with local clinical practice. At each follow up clinic visit, wounds were assessed for size, wound bed tissue composition, and pain level. 

Results & Conclusion: The use of the AAA dressing appeared to have a positive impact on outcomes in the treatment of these non-healing wounds. Most of the patients included in the case series experienced progress in their wound with the use of the AAA dressing in otherwise standard care protocols. Randomized controlled trials and real world studies, in larger patient samples, are required to validate these preliminary findings.