How to treat infection
No wound at risk or infected is a clean wound. Slough and exudate maintain an ideal environment for microbial proliferation and biofilm formation⁽¹⁾.
If at least 5 of these 6 indicative parameters are present on a wound, an immediate use of a local antimicrobial treatment is recommended⁽²⁾⁽³⁾.
Effectively fighting against local infection requires a combined antimicrobial and cleaning action.
DID YOU KNOW? - The biofilm
If a wound healing stops and the wound becomes static, then it is possible that the wound has developed a biofilm on the surface, preventing healing from continuing. There may be other factors but we know that 80% of chronic wounds have a biofilm and unless it is disrupted, the wound will remain in a static condition ad infinitum.
Biofilm-Based Wound Care⁽⁴⁾ aims to reduce biofilm burden by:
- An effective and speedy debridement
- A vigorous cleansing
- An antimicrobial dressing
- Percival SL, Suleman L. Slough and biofilm: removal of barriers to wound healing by desloughing. Journal of Wound Care. 2015 Nov;24(11):498, 500-3, 506-10
- J Dissemond, V Gerber, R Lobmann, A Kramer, D Mastronicola, E Senneville, C Moisan, V Edwards-Jones, K Mahoney, A Junka, M Bartoszewicz, J Verdú-Soriano, R Strohal. Therapeutic index for local infections score (TILI): a new diagnostic tool. Journal Wound Care. Dec 2020.29 ;12.
- J Dissemond, R Strohal, D Mastronicola, E Senneville, C Moisan, V Edwards-Jones, K Mahoney, A Junka, M Bartoszewicz, J Verdú-Soriano. Therapeutic Index for Local Infections score validity: a retrospective European analysis. Journal Wound Care. Dec 2020.29 ;12.
- Bjarnsholt et al 2016 World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS), Florence Congress, Position Document. Management of Biofilm. Wounds International.