Zinc chloride paste for the debridement of chronic leg ulcers

Chronic leg ulcers present a difficult therapeutic problem, and their management requires frequent debridement. Thorough debridement of painful or extensive ulcerations is not always possible. Frequently, it must be done in the operating room, a situation accompanied by the potential complications of general anesthesia and by considerable expense. We present evidence for the effectiveness of zinc chloride paste as a relatively painless debriding agent in the management of chronic leg ulcers. When applied to the wound bed, zinc chloride paste fixes the tissue and leads to the formation of an eschar that falls off within a few days, leaving a granulating ulcer suitable for grafting.