Wounds heal faster when debrided often by trained healthcare professionals. Published studies have shown that faster and more complete healing was achieved with more frequent debridement regardless of wound type, size or duration1,2. Weekly or even more frequent debridement resulted in shorter healing times compared with less frequent debridement. Education and training for proper debridement practices should not be limited to physicians but should include general staff members in order to make the flow of wound care more efficient. Nearly twice as many Venous Leg Ulcer’s and Diabetic Foot Ulcer’s healed completely with frequent debridement compared with those treated less frequently (50% v 28%).
The clinical professional has a range of options to achieve debridement and choice will depend on the pain threshold of the patient, type of necrotic tissue and where the patient is being treated. The fastest debridement procedure is sharp debridement usually associated with the use of a scalpel or similar instrument. The gentler approach such as the use of hydrogels may take weeks and many visits to facilitate dressing changes and re-application of the hydrogel and is costly and time consuming. Patients who undergo sharp debridement may feel greater pain than other approaches and this may impact on their compliance to undergo the necessary number of debridements to achieve an optimal wound bed that can start to progress towards healing. Also due to the level of procedural pain they may ask an immediate cessation of treatment at any stage during the process.
The need exists for not only a rapid approach to achieving pain relief immediately before the debridement procedure, but also the provision of sustained pain relief for some hours after completion. Research suggests that Medi-Solfen® offers these benefits and would provide increased compliance to achieve completion of the procedure and an increased willingness to return for future visits if required. The impact on the patient’s quality of life will be heightened if the stalled wound can be moved to an increased trajectory of healing faster. From a clinical perspective sharp debridement in pain free circumstances allows faster and more accurate removal of the appropriate amounts of dead tissue without interference from the patient asking to stop due to unbearable pain levels. Other pharmaceutical approaches to wound pain management can take up to 1 hour to attain the necessary level of anaesthesia prior to surgical intervention which adds to anxiety and stress for the patient anticipating what is coming next!