Efficacy of lidocaine wet compress combined with red-light irradiation for chronic wounds

BACKGROUND Chronic wounds that fail to progress through normal phases of healing present a significant healthcare burden owing to prolonged treatment and associated costs.Traditional wound care typically involves regular dressing changes,which can be painful.Recent approaches have explored the use of lidocaine to manage pain and red-light irradiation(RLI),known for its anti-inflammatory and cell proliferation effects,to potentially enhance wound healing.AIM To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of lidocaine wet compression(LWC)combined with RLI for chronic wounds.METHODS We enrolled 150 patients with chronic wounds from the Wound and Ostomy Outpatient Clinic of the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University from April to September 2022.The wounds were treated with dressing changes.The patients were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups using a random number table and given the same first dressing change(2%LWC for 5 min and routine dressing change).From the second dressing change,in addition to 2%LWC for 5 min and routine dressing change,the experimental group received RLI,whereas the control group continued to receive the same LWC and dressing change.The first and second dressing changes were performed on days 1 and 2,respectively.The third dressing change was performed 3 d after the second change.The frequency of subsequent dressing changes was determined based on wound exudation and pain.Pain during the first three dressing changes was evaluated in both groups.The average number of dressing changes within 28 d and the degree of wound healing on day 28 were also recorded.RESULTS During the initial dressing change,no noticeable differences were observed in the pain levels experienced by the two groups,indicating similar pain tolerance.However,during the second and third dressing changes,the experimental group reported significantly less pain than the control group.Furthermore,over 28 d,the experimental group required fewer dressing changes than the control group.CONCLUSION Notably,the effectiveness of wound healing on the 28th day was significantly higher in the experimental group than that of in the control group.The combination of LWC and RLI was effective in reducing early-stage pain,promoting wound healing,decreasing the frequency of dressing changes,and enhancing patients’overall quality of life with chronic wounds.

Commercial wound dressings for the treatment of exuding wounds:an in-depth physico-chemical comparative study

Background:Nowadays,a wide range of wound dressings is already commercially available.The selection of the dressing is of paramount importance as inappropriate wound management and dressing selection can delay the wound healing process.Not only can this be distressing for the patient,but it can also contribute to complications such as maceration and subsequent infection.Many researchers are targeting the design of dressings with superior properties over existing commercial dressings.However,reported results in the state-of-the-art are rarely benchmarked against commercial dressings.The aim of this study was to determine several characteristics of a large variety of the most frequently used commercial wound dressings,providing an overview for both practitioners and researchers.Methods:For this comparative study,11 frequently used commercial wound dressings were selected,representing the different types.The morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy.The dressings were characterized in terms of swelling capacity(water,phosphate buffered saline and simulated wound fluid),moisture vapour transmission rate(MVTR)and moisture uptake capacity(via dynamic vapour sorption)as well as mechanical properties using tensile testing and texturometry.Results:The selected dressings showed distinctive morphological differences(fibrous,porous and/or gel)which was reflected in the different properties.Indeed,the swelling capacities ranged between 1.5 and 23.2 g/g(water),2.1 and 17.6 g/g(phosphate buffered saline)or 2.9 and 20.8 g/g(simulated wound fluid).The swelling capacity of the dressings in water increased even further upon freeze-drying,due to the formation of pores.The MVTR values varied between 40 and 930 g/m^(2)/24 h.The maximal moisture uptake capacity varied between 5.8%and 105.7%at 95%relative humidity.Some commercial dressings exhibited a superior mechanical strength,due to either being hydrophobic or multi-layered.Conclusions:The present work not only offers insight into a valuable toolbox of suitable wound dressing characterization techniques,but also provides an extensive landscaping of commercial dressings along with their physico-chemical properties,obtained through reproducible experimen-tal protocols.Furthermore,it ensures appropriate benchmark values for commercial dressings in all forthcoming studies and could aid researchers with the development of novel modern wound dressings.The tested dressings either exhibited a high strength or a high swelling capacity,suggesting that there is still a strong potential in the wound dressings market for dressings that possess both.