Prontosan-FAQs

Pronto = Fast/quickly. San (from sanare in Italian) = "to heal"

So "Prontosan" literally means: "To heal quickly"!

Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution, Prontosan® Wound Gel and Prontosan® Wound Gel X are Class III medical devices, based on EU Medical Device Directive 2007/47/EC (MDD). The Prontosan Debridement Pad is a Medical Device Class I Sterile product.

All Prontosan® products contain a betaine surfactant, polyhexanide (PHMB) and purified water. Additionally, Prontosan® Wound Gel X contains glycerol and hydroxyethylcellulose.

Betaine is a gentle effective surfactant (detergent) which is able to penetrate, disturb, clean and remove biofilm and wound debris, such as slough.

Polyhexanide (PHMB) is a highly effective broad spectrum antimicrobial that is active against gram negative and gram positive bacteria, fungi and yeast, including MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, VRE etc. PHMB has been in general use for about 60 years; it has demonstrated good clinical safety data with no evidence of resistance and minimal toxicity.

Prontosan® – The unique combination of Betaine and Polyhexanide work in combination;

• reduces healing time
• removes and prevents biofilm
• prevents infections
• prepares the wound bed
• loosens and cleanses slough and debris

Prontosan® can be used for the treatment of acute wounds, chronic wounds and 1st and 2nd degree burns (Prontosan® Wound Gel X is also indicated for 3rd degree burns).

Yes. Betaine helps to remove wound coatings including slough and necrotic tissue by softening, loosening and subsequently detaching them.

Prontosan® Irrigation Solution

• If no desloughing is required, irrigate the wound directly from the bottle
• For wounds with slough or visible debris – apply a gauze or compress for 0-10 minutes, depending on desired effect.  For infected wounds a 10-15 minute soak is recommended initially.
• Prontosan Solution can be applied directly to encrusted dressings to assist in removal

Prontosan® Wound Gel and Prontosan® Wound Gel X

• Apply the Gel X after cleansing the wound with Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution.
• The Gel is a leave on product and will create a film on the wound bed. This ensures desloughing continues and bioflm build up is prevented.
• Leaving the Gel X on the wound provides a continuous coverage.
• The choice between Prontosan® Wound Gel X and Gel allows an optimal application in large surface area as well as tunnelling or cavity wounds.
• Apply an appropriate secondary dressing.

Prontosan has tested efficacy on multiple species of bacteria within 60 seconds1 this means Prontosan is suitable for irrigation in wounds where only planktonic bacteria is a concern. 

For wounds suspected of containing biofilm, irrigation with Prontosan is shown to be more effective than other cleansers over 3 – 6 day periods2, however for maximum benefit in wounds where biofilm is a possibility, an enhanced contact time is recommended. The betaine within Prontosan provides the surfactant / cleansing effect for biofilm disruption and cleansing of slough and PHMB is present as an adjuvant ingredient.

Treatment strategies should be based on the cycle of biofilm, the use of the Prontosan range aim to disrupt and prevent reformation of biofilm for effective wound bed preparation.

• For acute wounds, consider irrigation with Prontosan Solution only
• For granulating chronic wounds, consider a 0-5 minute soak with Prontosan Solution to prevent biofilm and apply a thin layer of Prontosan Gel X
• For chronic wounds with light to moderate slough, consider a 5-10 minute soak with Prontosan Solution to provide a desloughing or softening effect, debride with Prontosan Debridement Pad and apply a thin layer of Prontosan Gel X
• For chronic wounds with local or spreading infection, consider a 10-15 minute soak with Prontosan Solution and apply a thin layer of Prontosan Gel X

After using Prontosan for wound bed preparation on any wounds, apply your dressing as per wound care formulary and local policy.

Download a copy of our Wound Bed Preparation Pathway

Yes, patients who can self-manage can apply a Prontosan soak. For example, a community patient who removes their dressings to shower prior to a nurse visit can pop a gauze soaked in Prontosan on their wound after their shower until the nurse arrives, this will aid in maintaining moisture in the wound and keeping the wound covered; the wound will receive enhanced biofilm and desloughing activity due to the longer contact time. 

There is no limit set for the treatment duration with Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution. In clinical trials, the longest documented treatment duration was 6 months3. In fact, Prontosan® is especially designed for the long term treatment of hard-to-heal wounds.  Prontosan Wound Gel and Wound Gel X should be cleansed off at every dressing change, continual contact should not exceed 30 days, most likely dressing changes occur more regularly than this and usually within 7 days.

Hundreds of thousands of patients are treated with Prontosan® in Europe, comparative literature covering chronic wounds includes over 1,700 patients treated with Prontosan and this grows every year, every year. The clinical evidence demonstrates that by routinely introducing a Prontosan regime as part of your patient pathway you will achieve a better result.

• Improved patient outcomes, including time to healing
• Helps to prevent complications and reduce infection
• Reduces spend on antimicrobials and antibiotics
• Reduces nursing time

You can find downloadable journal articles and case studies on our clinical evidence hub pages

Visit our clinical evidence hub

Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution, Prontosan® Wound Gel and Prontosan® Wound Gel X have a shelf life of 3 years after manufacture – the expiry date is present on each product.

8 weeks for the Prontosan® product range, the 40ml pods are single use as they cannot be recapped. Prontosan® does NOT need to be refrigerated to maintain this shelf life. It can be warmed up to body temperature before using for patient comfort.

No, Prontosan is single patient use.

Prontosan® Wound Irrigation Solution is produced using a blow, fill, seal process. In a single step, each container is blown into its given size and shape, filled with Prontosan® before being sealed completely.

The Prontosan® 350 ml and 1000 ml bottles feature a special safety protection. It is a spike, integrated into the inside of the cap. First, the cap has to be unscrewed, then the white collar ring must be removed prior to putting the cap back on and screwing it tight. This way, the spike pierces the bottle’s sealing and the product is ready for application.

To open the 40 ml Solution as well as the 30 ml Gel ampoules just turn the toggle closure. The Prontosan® Wound Gel X originality seal can be opened by utilizing the cap turned upside down.

Yes. Prontosan® containers and labels are PVC-free, DEHP-free as well as latex-free.

For the application in deep or tunnelling wounds, wound cavities and difficult to access areas, cover the entire area with a 3 - 5 mm layer of Prontosan® Wound Gel and apply a secondary bandage.

On large surface area wounds apply a 3 - 4 mm thick layer of Prontosan® Wound Gel X and cover with a secondary bandage.  Vary the product application depending on time until next dressing change and amount of desloughing required – sloughy wounds with longer times until dressing change will require a thicker layer of gel than e.g. a granulating wound with shorter periods between dressing change. 

Application of the Gels will prevent biofilm reformation and provide a desloughing effect.

Virtually any dressing can be used on top of Gel X – Foams, Super absorbers, non-adherents, post-surgical dressings. Enzymes and ointments are not recommended to be used in conjunction with Prontosan products – please refer to the IFUs.

You can download instructions for use documents via the product pages here: > Learn More

If you are using an “active” dressing – for example a silver containing dressing – Gel X can still be used and may even enhance the effect of some dressings – but if you are not sure please check with your local B. Braun wound care representative.

If a dressing is not suitable then Gel X can be applied to a wound with no dressing. Gel X will help to prevent the build-up of biofilm even on exposed wounds.

Examples include post-surgical wounds with no dressing or wounds in awkward areas where the dressings are unlikely to stay in place e.g. episiotomy wounds. A thin layer of Gel X applied 2-3 times a day is suitable. Residue can simply be rinsed off when showering /bathing each day.

Yes, Prontosan® Irrigation Solution can be used prior to application of Calgitrol Paste.

Yes, Prontosan® Irrigation Solution and Gel X can be used with silver dressings.

Prontosan® Solution may be used in combination with an alginate dressing as a wound cleansing agent to clean the wound.  Alginates contain anionic ingredients which may deactivate the PHMB component of Prontosan, Prontosan Gel X can be used with this consideration in mind.

If a dressing is not suitable then Gel X can be applied to a wound with no dressing. Gel X will help to prevent the build-up of biofilm even on exposed wounds.

Examples include post-surgical wounds with no dressing or wounds in awkward areas where the dressings are unlikely to stay in place e.g. episiotomy wounds. A thin layer of Gel X applied 2-3 times a day is suitable. Residue can simply be rinsed off when showering /bathing each day.

There is no problem to use Prontosan Solution for the debridement & cleansing of the wound prior to use a honey dressing.

Due to insufficient evidence Prontosan is contraindicated in the presence of hyaline cartilage.

Yes although care has to be taken in the case of partial joint replacement where intact hyaline cartilage is still present (which is a contraindication of use) if contact occurs, this should be rinsed with saline or Ringers solution immediately. For total joint replacements (hip and knees) the cartilage is completely removed and therefore the use of Prontosan® is possible. B. Braun also makes a product called LavaSurge which may be more appropriate for this situation.

Yes, but please note they should be completely removed prior to radiotherapy commencing, as topical moisturisers and gels can create a “bolus effect” which artificially increases the radiation dose delivered to the epidermis. 

It is important to instruct patients to gently clean and dry the skin in the radiation field before each radiation session.

PHMB is not absorbed by human cells and tissue, therefore is cannot interfere with the metabolism of the body.

+5° to +30° Celsius

Density of Prontosan Wound Gel X: 1.04 g/cm3 Density of Prontosan Wound Gel: 1.02 g/cm3

Prontosan Solution: 0.5 – 5 mPa*s

Prontosan Wound Gel: 1800 – 5000 mPa*s

For all Prontosan Range B. Braun Medical AG, Switzerland is the responsible manufacturer. For UK representative support please click the button below.

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