Purpose

Orthopaedic-related wounds are critical situations calling for care to avoid deep infections and its consequences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using honey for care of orthopaedic-related wounds with limited resources.

Patients and methods

This prospective study included 50 cases with an average age of 38.18 (range 17–63) years with 38 males and 12 females. The most frequent wound location was the leg (41 patients; 82%), then the foot (six patients; 12%), and the ankle in three patients (6%). The aetiologies were open fractures (34 cases; 68%), infected tibial non-unions (nine cases; 18%), and post-operative infections (seven cases; 14%). Exposed tendon was present in three cases. Bone exposure was present in two cases. Deep infection was present in 29 cases (58%). Besides treating the primary cause, a ribbon of gauze soaked with honey was applied to the wounds after thorough saline washing.

Results

Wound sizes were variable. All cases showed improvement in all parameters with complete wound healing and full coverage of bone and tendons. Recurrence of deep infection occurred in three cases and treated by debridement. One case needed sequestrectomy of a small exposed tibial cortical fragment. Exposed tendon cases showed superficial necrosis which was treated by simple debridement. Initial mild itching occurred in five patients with spontaneous resolution.

Conclusion

With treating the underlying aetiology and optimising the patient’s general condition, honey was an effective, simple, and affordable method of wound care in different orthopaedic conditions even with exposed bone or tendons.

中文翻译：

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蜂蜜敷料：骨科伤口护理的误区

目的

与骨科相关的伤口是需要护理以避免深部感染及其后果的危急情况。本研究的目的是评估在资源有限的情况下使用蜂蜜治疗骨科相关伤口的疗效。

患者和方法

这项前瞻性研究包括 50 例，平均年龄为 38.18 岁（范围 17-63 岁），其中男性 38 例，女性 12 例。最常见的伤口位置是腿部（41 名患者；82%），其次是足部（6 名患者；12%），以及 3 名患者的脚踝（6%）。病因是开放性骨折（34 例；68%）、感染性胫骨骨不连（9 例；18%）和术后感染（7 例；14%）。3例出现肌腱外露。两例出现骨外露。29 例 (58%) 存在深部感染。除了治疗原发病因外，在用盐水彻底清洗后，还用一条浸有蜂蜜的纱布条敷在伤口上。

结果

伤口大小是可变的。所有病例均显示所有参数均有改善，伤口完全愈合，骨骼和肌腱完全覆盖。3例深部感染复发，行清创治疗。一个病例需要对暴露的小胫骨皮质碎片进行死骨切除术。暴露的肌腱病例显示浅表坏死，通过简单的清创术治疗。5 名自发消退的患者最初出现轻微瘙痒。

结论

通过治疗潜在的病因和优化患者的一般状况，蜂蜜是一种有效、简单且负担得起的伤口护理方法，适用于不同的骨科疾病，即使是暴露的骨骼或肌腱。