Frequent debridement resulted in faster and more complete wound healing, according to study results recently published in JAMA Dermatology.
Researchers from Healogics used a web-based clinical management system to collect data from 525 wound care centers between June 1, 2008 and June 31, 2012. The study included 154,644 patients with 312,744 wounds of all causes, including pressure ulcers (16.2%), diabetic foot ulcers (19%) and venous leg ulcers (26.1%).
The median number of debridements was two, and researchers found wounds that were debrided more frequently healed faster than wounds that were debrided less frequently. A total of 70.8% of wounds healed.
“The results demonstrate that a higher frequency of debridement improves healing outcomes with shorter healing rates,” the authors wrote in the study. “Longer treatment time was associated with less debridement. Furthermore, wounds with longer intervals, greater than 2 weeks, between debridements healed more slowly.”
For more information:
Wilcox JR. JAMA Dermatol. 2013. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.4960.
Disclosure: The study was conducted and funded by Healogics, a for-profit provider of wound care services.
