Assessing bacterial burden in wounds: comparing clinical observation and wound swabs.

A randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to compare the efficacy of nanocrystalline silver and cadexomer iodine dressings in healing chronic lower leg ulcers. The relationships between wound swab culture results and nurses' clinical assessments of critical colonisation, and between bacterial burden and healing rate, were also examined. There were 281 individuals with leg ulcers recruited.

A randomized-controlled trial comparing cadexomer iodine and nanocrystalline silver on the healing of leg ulcers.

Chronic leg ulcers are a debilitating, often painful, and costly condition. Leg ulcer healing may be impaired by bacterial colonization, which, unless effective intervention is instigated, can lead to infection. Although it is generally agreed that an antimicrobial dressing is clinically indicated when a wound becomes critically colonized, there is currently no agreement on what constitutes the best practice in the use of antimicrobials.