Comparison of the efficacy of novel non-invasive mechanical debridement methods - sterile sponge, monofilament fibre cloth and non-woven cloth impregnated with sodium hyaluronate and phospholipids in relation to traditional sterile gauze.

Introduction: According to the European guidelines, the first step for local wound preparation is debridement, which stands for removing of devitalized tissue such as slough or necrosis. There are numerous types of debridement, but not all of them can be performed by non-specialists. Most of the research investigating efficiency of novel debridement products are carried out or funded by pharmaceutical companies. Aim: To compare the efficacy of relative necrotic tissue removal after 30 days on patients subjected to debridement with sterile sponge, monofilament fibre cloth, non-woven cloth impregnated with sodium hyaluronate and phospholipids and traditional sterile gauze. Material and methods: By use of photographic documentation at 7 days' intervals and planimetry methods, the total wound surface area and sloughy tissue area was measured. Results: Results have shown that monofilament cloth was the most effective, removing on average 63.44 ±32.91% of necrotic tissue after the first procedure and 74.65 ±30.95% within 30 days of application, in comparison to the sterile gauze group that had on average only 23.53 ±19.16% of necrotic tissue removed at day 0 and 44.95 ±31.47% removed at day 30. Moreover, patients using all 3 products tested reported higher satisfaction with that treatment than those treated with gauze. Conclusions: Results imply that all those methods could be considered as they are well accepted by patients and cause less pain during the procedure, which is essential for good compliance and complete resolution of the lesions.