[Local control treatment of bacteria found present in an infected bed sore by means of a hydropolymer dressing with...

Every chronic wound has microorganisms present on its surface and therefore, its contamination is universal and unavoidable, but the majority of these wounds are not infected. It is important, therefore, to refine the diagnosis of infection indentifying the microorganisms which have succeeded in gaining access to the submarginal tissues in order to be able to prevent unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic treatment and to lessen possible complications. A high level of bacteria present, close to 105 "UFC" per gram of tissue, even though this does not manifest a clinical infection, might interfere with the repair mechanisms and impede cicatrization of the wound. Due to this difficulty to identify in a precise manner the microorganisms which cause an infection, those patients who have sepsis related to bed sores are habitually treated empirically with wide spectrum range antibiotics, potentially more toxic and often more expensive. But it is important to restrict the use of local antibiotics when treating chronic wounds and to prioritize the use of cleaning methods and diverse debridement methods in order to lower the presence of bacteria. The use of systemic antibiotics should be limited to precise indications, considering that today we have at our disposal alternate treatments with topical antibiotics, principally dressings which contain silver.