Clinical experience of the Prontosan® Debridement Pad
In 2021 an article reviewed 111 responses which were collected from 56 clinicians over a broad range of specialties including leg ulcer clinic staff, podiatrists and practice nurses asking their opinion on a microfibre debridement pad and how it performed in clinical practice
Wound types
A variety of wound tissue types were debrided with the pad, most frequently ‘fibronous slough’, followed by ‘moist slough’, ‘granulating’ and then ‘dry and fibronous’.
How does performing a cleansing step affect debridement?
71% of wounds had a cleansing soak applied before debridement. This was compared to the rating of slough removal; slough removal was much more likely to be rated well if a pre soak was applied, with 94% of wounds experiencing good to excellent slough removal. However, in wounds which were not cleansed this dropped to 72%, indicating that cleansing has a positive impact on debridement outcomes. As consensus states cleansing, debridement and biofilm prevention as integral steps for wound bed preparation, these results also align with current treatment strategies and evidence.
Patient comfort
Pain is often associated with debridement and can lead to debridement not always being possible or successful. Patient comfort was scored for Prontosan® Debridement Pad with 96% of clinicians perceiving patients to be comfortable, the author concludes that this could support community staff with confidence to debride which will in turn promote wound healing in chronic wounds.
Overall rating
Prontosan® Debridement Pad‘s overall rating was 92% of clinicians scoring the pad from good to excellent.
Conclusion
"Where previously staff may have shied away from the process of debridement and leaving it to the specialist team only, it is very encouraging to see general staff using the Prontosan® Debridement Pad with an objective to improve wound healing in patients with chronic wounds in the community. It can be used safely in the community and across all clinical settings, so that clinicians can confidently remove the devitalised tissue from the wound bed, leaving healthy tissue intact, without causing pain and trauma to the patient.”
This is an adaptation of an article originally published in Wounds UK in March 2021 “Experiences of healthcare professionals using Prontosan® Debridement Pad – Luxmi Dhoonmoon, 2021”