Abstract
Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time is widely accepted as adjunct treatment for complex infected wounds; however, results vary by irrigant. This study compared effects of hypochlorous acid versus 0.9% sodium chloride solution on clinical outcomes. We present a single-institution, comparative, observational, retrospective analysis of medically complicated patients with complex or grossly infected wounds. The primary endpoints were length of hospital stay, number of wound-related operating room procedures, and days to wound closure. The study included 24 patients with 27 wounds. Their diagnoses included: necrotizing soft tissue infections, necrotizing fasciitis, infected stage IV ulcers, and multi drug-resistant abscesses. Results indicated a trend towards fewer operating room trips, fewer days to closure, and shorter length of stay when patients were treated with hypochlorous acid compared to sodium chloride solution. (3.3 vs. 4.1, p=0.19; 19.4 vs. 22.5, p=0.33; and 24.3 vs. 37.9, p=0.27 respectively). Our clinical experience utilizing negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time with hypochlorous acid has shown favorable outcomes suggesting hypochlorous acid as an effective irrigant in the management of grossly infected and complex wounds. As a result we have standardized our institutional protocol to incorporate hypochlorous acid for challenging or infected wounds.
Keywords: Hypochlorous Acids; Vacuum-Assisted Closure; Wound Infection; Wound Infection, Surgical; Wounds and Injury.
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Corresponding Author
Kathy E. Gallagher, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CWS, WCC, FACCWS
Acute Surgical Wound Service, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v8i6.79
