title: Dakin's solution: is there a place for it in the 21st century?
abstract: Dakin's solution (DS) is a time-honoured antiseptic that still remains part of the wound care armamentarium. In spite of its cytotoxicity, some question its use in the current era. We report the case of a 52-year-old diabetic woman who was admitted for sepsis because of a severely infected diabetic foot. Urgent surgical drainage and debridement left a 9 × 9-cm deep, complex, infected wound with both bone and tendon involvement. Treatment with local negative pressure was unsuccessful. DS was regularly instilled through a tube left in the wound dressing. A marked improvement was observed with this strategy as the wound bed was much cleaner and fully granulated after 6 weeks. No adverse effects were noted. This case debunks the myth that topical antiseptics necessarily impair wound healing. DS can still be considered an option for difficult-to-treat, complex and heavily infected wounds.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Hospital de Santo António dos Capuchos - Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, Hospital de Santo António dos Capuchos - Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cabete
authors.affiliation: General Surgery Department, Hospital de Curry Cabral - Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Formiga
authors.affiliation: General Surgery Department, Hospital de Curry Cabral - Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neves
mesh_terms: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite
keywords: Dakin's solution; Diabetic foot; Wound healing