title: Prontosan wound irrigation and gel: management of chronic wounds.
abstract: Chronic wounds present a challenge that is costly in terms of quality of life to the patient and in financial terms for the NHS. Several factors contribute to the development of a chronic wound, in particular the influence of bacteria as a biofilm within the wound environment. Irrigating a wound with normal saline has long been advocated as the most appropriate method of wound irrigation but biofilms are now known to be resistant to this method of cleansing. A small (10 patient) evaluation of the use of Prontosan in patients whose duration of chronic wounds exceeded 1 year has demonstrated that Prontosan wound irrigation and Prontosan gel are an appropriate alternative for cleaning, moistening and decontaminating encrusted, contaminated and chronic skin wounds, and can have a dramatic influence of the quality of life for such patients. This article discusses the cause of chronicity within a wound and discusses in depth three of the ten patients in the evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Somerset Primary Care Trust & Yeovil Foundation NHS Trust,Yeovil, Somerset.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horrocks
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001622:Betaine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001645:Biguanides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018441:Biofilms; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D005782:Gels; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D018030:Silver Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014476:Undecylenic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014945:Wound Healing; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D001645:Biguanides; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005782:Gels; D018030:Silver Compounds; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014476:Undecylenic Acids; C031233:polihexanide; D001622:Betaine