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Related Experiment Videos

Water for wound cleansing.

R Fernandez1, R Griffiths

  • 1Centre For Applied Nursing Research, Locked bag 7103, Liverpool BC, New South Wales, Australia, 2170. ritin.fernandez@swsahs.nsw.gov.au

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|February 7, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Tap water is effective for cleansing acute wounds in adults, potentially reducing infection rates compared to normal saline. However, evidence for wound cleansing improving healing or reducing infection is not strong.

Area of Science:

  • Wound Care
  • Infection Control
  • Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

  • Normal saline is a preferred wound cleansing solution due to its isotonic properties.
  • Tap water is a common, accessible, and cost-effective alternative for wound cleansing, but its efficacy is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing water with other solutions for wound cleansing.
  • To assess the impact of different cleansing agents on wound infection and healing outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic search of multiple electronic databases (Cochrane Wounds Group, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL) and contact with experts.
  • Inclusion of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials evaluating water versus other solutions for wound cleansing.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Independent data extraction and quality assessment by multiple authors, with data pooling using a random effects model where appropriate.

    • Main Results:

    • Eleven trials were included, comparing water with normal saline, no cleansing, or other solutions.
    • Tap water showed potential in reducing infection rates for acute wounds in adults compared to normal saline (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.99).
    • No significant differences in infection rates were observed when comparing tap water to no cleansing or for acute wounds in children.

    Conclusions:

    • Evidence suggests tap water does not increase infection in acute adult wounds and may reduce it.
    • There is limited strong evidence that wound cleansing itself significantly enhances healing or reduces infection.
    • Boiled, cooled, or distilled water are suitable alternatives when potable tap water is unavailable.