Silver nanoparticles: an overview of scientific toxicity and safety data and introduction of a new dressing, Venus Ag

Nanotechnology has opened a new area of scientific research. This field deals with materials within the dimensions of 1–100nm and a plethora of new technologies have emerged. In wound care, silver nanoparticles are used to aid wound healing as an antimicrobial agent, but also as an anti-inflammatory agent. The properties of silver nanoparticles differ from that of the material on a larger scale and their production can be controlled to give varied properties and characteristics that have different uses. These resultant properties are very important and differences in characterisation can alter their biological and physical attributes. All wound dressings have to undergo rigorous scrutiny around toxicity and safety when regulatory review is undertaken, yet some users still have concerns over long-term effects of silver nanoparticles in vivo. This review will address some of these concerns and reviews the current health and safety data associated with introduction of new products containing silver nanoparticles using Venus Ag dressings (SFM LTD, UK) as an example.

KEY WORDS   Nanoparticles of silver   Safety   Silver dressings   Toxicity

VAL EDWARDS-JONES PhD,CSci, FIBMS, Independent Microbiology Consultant, Essential Microbiology Limited

Reducing variation in venous leg ulcer management: a focus on compression

There were an estimated 3.8 million patients with a wound managed by the NHS in 2017/2018 at a cost of £8.3 billion (Guest et al, 2017). The cost to the patient and their quality of life is immense. Evidence has shown that there are wide variations in the care of people with chronic wounds, with many patients not receiving the correct assessment or a diagnosis on which to base decisions about their care (Guest et al, 2015; Gray et al, 2018). Delivering efficient and effective care to patients with a venous leg ulcer (VLU) requires collaborative working across specialist and community settings to tackle inequalities in care, improve outcomes, enhance productivity, and provide value for money.

KEY WORDS   Venous leg ulcer   Compression Reducing variation  UrgoKTwo  DR CAROLINE DOWSETT  Clinical Nurse Specialist  Tissue  Viability, East London   NHS  Foundation Trust; Independent   Nurse Consultant

Insights into ex vivo skin models for microbiological and healing properties of wound dressings

ABSTRACT: Biofilm formation in wounds contributes greatly to the lack of healing and increased healthcare expenditures. Antimicrobial efficacy is decreased significantly in the presence of biofilms, which can, in turn, promote the development of antibiotic resistance. Antibiofilm strategies to prevent the formation and persistence of biofilm in wounds would consequently decrease the incidence of chronic wounds and improve wound healing. The use of preclinical biofilm models to assess the antibiofilm efficacy of wound dressings is a prerequisite to identifying new technologies that can improve outcomes in hardto-heal wounds. Improvements to preclinical approaches (in vitro and in vivo) to biofilm models are needed. Living tissue (ex vivo) derived from pig and human skin donors is a developing approach that translates the research to the clinic, including the native microenvironment of the biofilm.

KEY WORDS Bacteria   Biofilm   Infection   Microbiology   Swab   Wound dressings

MARNIE PETERSON PharmD, PhD, Site Director, Perfectus Biomed Group, Now Part of NAMSA, 3545 South Park Dr., Jackson, Wyoming, 83001, US. 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

SAM WESTGATE PhD, Executive Director,  Perfectus Biomed Group, Now Part of NAMSA, Techspace One SciTech Daresbury, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, Cheshire, WA4 4AB, UK, 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

Deep Sternal Wound Infections after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Analysis of 29 Cases from Iraq

Raghda Basil Ismael Alkhateeb1, Asmaa Saleem Esmail Ah-Ghurabi2,

Laith Saleh Alkaaby3, Abdulsalam Y. Taha4

1 Department of Cardiac Surgery, Slemani Cardiac Hospital, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

2 The Diabetes Center in Sulaymaniyah, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

3 Department of Cardiac Surgery, Iraqi Center for Heart Diseases, Baghdad, Iraq

4 Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

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How to cite this paper: Alkhateeb, R.B.I., Ah-Ghurabi, A.S.E., Alkaaby, L.S. and Taha, A.Y. (2022) Deep Sternal Wound Infections after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Analysis of 29 Cases from Iraq. World Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery, 12, 153-172. https://doi.org/10.4236/wjcs.2022.127012

Received: April 24, 2022

Accepted: July 26, 2022

Published: July 29, 2022

Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract

      Background: Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI), or mediastinitis, is a devastating complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This prospective study aimed to assess our management of DSWI in view of the published literature. Methods: Over 2-years (ending in January 2016), 29 patients (20 males) developed DSWI amongst 520 patients who underwent standard CABG surgeries (5.6%). Pre-, intra- and postoperative variables were documented. Whenever possible, the infections were culture-verified. Besides antibiotics, patients received one or more of the following therapies: drainage, debridement, closed irrigation, sternal re-wiring, vacuum-assisted closure (VAC), and bone resection. Results: the male to female ratio was 2.2:1. Mean age was 58.1 ± 7.3 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.9 ± 3.4 kg/m2 . There were 18, 16 and 11 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) respectively. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was utilized in 26 (89.7%) patients with a mean time of 117.5 ± 23.3 minutes. Most surgeries (n = 21, 72.4%) lasted 5 - 6 hrs. According to Pairolero classification, there were 3 (10.3%) Type I, 22 (75.9%) Type II and 4 (13.8%) Type III infections. Four (13.8%) cases were culture-verified. Twenty-three (79.3%) DSWIs were surgically managed. Sternal re-wiring was performed in 14 (48.3%) cases while VAC was added to other therapies in 2 (6.9%) patients. DSWIs completely resolved in 18 (62.0%) patients within 3 - 24 weeks while two (6.9%) patients died within 30 days. Conclusion: We have identified six independent risk factors for DSWI (male gender, obesity, DM, hypertension, COPD and CPB), five of them are modifiable.

Keywords

      Deep Sternal Wound Infection, Mediastinitis, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Median Sternotomy, Vacuum-Assisted Closure, Wound Debridement

Comparative Effects of Allium sativum (Garlic) and Allium porrum (Leek) on Lacerated Wound Isolates

Ruth Asikiya Afunwa*, Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, Roselyn Nneka Egbuna, Chidozie Ikegbune

Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Nigeria

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How to cite this paper: Afunwa, R.A., Okonkwo, T.C., Egbuna, R.N. and Ikegbune, C. (2022) Comparative Effects of Allium sativum (Garlic) and Allium porrum (Leek) on Lacerated Wound Isolates. Open Journal of Internal Medicine, 12,

184-193. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojim.2022.124020

Received: August 31, 2022

Accepted: November 11, 2022

Published: November 14, 2022

Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0).

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract

Background: The pharmacological properties of Allium family have been reported to include antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-aging and antilipidemic properties. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial properties of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Allium sativum and Allium porrum on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms from chronic wound infections. Methods: Ten (10) isolates were obtained from infected open wounds from patients at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University teaching Hospital Amakwu and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Anambra state, Nigeria. Gram reaction and other biochemical tests namely: Indole, Citrate, Catalase, coagulase and oxidase tests were done for identification of the isolates. The isolates are K. pneumoniae (three), S. aureus (two), Enterococcus (two), P. aeruginosa (two) and E.coli (one). The antibacterial properties of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Allium sativum and Allium porrum were determined using the agar well diffusion method while Gentamicin (10 mcg) and Tetracycline (30 mcg) were used as positive controls. Result: The results of the study showed that the ethanolic extract of Allium sativum (500 mg/ml and 250 mg/ml) respectively had an inhibitory effect on all the bacteria isolates under study, except a strain of P. aeruginosa which was also resistant to Allium porrum and the conventional antibiotics (Gentamicin and Tetracycline) used as positive controls. The ethonolic extract of Allium porrum (500 mg/ml and 250 mg/ml) respectively inhibited all the bacteria under investigation except one strain of P. aeruginosa and E. coli. Worthy of note is that the extracts of both plants inhibited two (2) strains of K. pneumoniae and one (1) strain of S. aureus that were resistant to Gentamicin and Tetracycline. The combination of these two plant extracts did not produce any synergistic effects. Conclusion: The present study provides evidence that extracts of Allium sativum and Allium porrum possess antibacteria properties and could serve as alternatives to conventional antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections from wounds.

Keywords

Wound, Infection, Garlic, Leek, Antibiotics

Burn Management at the 37 Military Hospital—A Tertiary Hospital in Accra, Ghana

Kwesi Okumanin Nsaful1*, Edward Asumanu2, Yaa Konadu Asante-Mante1, Jeffery Eduku Mozu1, Jennifer Maame Efua Owusu1, Emmanuel Yaw Botchway1, Amma Gyamfuawaa Afriyie1, Stephen Mawuli Dei1, Edmund Tettey Nartey3, Richard Osei Boateng4

1 Plastics and Burn Centre, 37 Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana

2 General Surgery Unit, 37 Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana

3 Statistics and Data Analysis Department, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

4 Records and Data Collection Division, 37 Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana

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How to cite this paper: Nsaful, K.O., Asumanu, E., Asante-Mante, Y.K., Mozu, J.E., Owusu, J.M.E., Botchway, E.Y., Afriyie, A.G., Dei, S.M., Nartey, E.T. and Boateng, R.O. (2022) Burn Management at the 37 Military Hospital—A Tertiary Hospital in Accra, Ghana. Modern Plastic Surgery, 12, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.4236/mps.2022.121001

Received: November 28, 2021

Accepted: January 22, 2022

Published: January 25, 2022

Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0).

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract

      Burn injuries have been and remain a very significant source of mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries. As a country in this category, Ghana, is not exempted. Ghana has a population of 31 Million with only 21 Plastic Reconstructive and Burn surgeons. Moreover, the country can boast of only 3 major Burn centres. This notwithstanding the country in particular and Africa, in general, carries an extraordinary burden of Burn injuries with devastating consequences. Burn data from the 37 Military Hospital were analyzed from March 2018 to September 2019—a period of 18 months. In all, 217 burn cases were seen representing about 2.1% of all trauma and surgical cases. Our burn data analyzed the peculiarities of epidemiology, types of burn, the pattern of injuries, and the outcome of burn care at the 37 Military Hospital. Flame is emerging as the predominant cause of burns, most frequently occurring from the use of Liquid Petroleum Gas. In the pediatric population, however, the most frequent cause of burns is hot water burns. The mortality rate among the burn population was 1.8% (4 mortalities). This paper aims to point out management methods adopted by our unit which helped to improve burn outcomes and to reduce mortality.

Keywords: Burns, Wound Healing, Wound Dressing, Burn Blisters, Antibiotics