It is well known that a biofilm considerably delays wound healing. Sharp debridement can only be used in wounds with visible necrotic tissue. Therefore, there is practically no option for eliminating biofilms with no necrotic tissue.

A study recently assessed the efficacy of biofilm-based wound care system (BWCS) in promoting wound healing. The system combines wound blotting as a point-of-care testing and ultrasonic debridement.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the proportion of biofilm removal by ultrasonic debridement in pressure ulcers [Study 1]. A retrospective cohort study then assessed the effectiveness of BWCS for healing of chronic wounds [Study 2]. Investigators compared the proportions of wound healing between wounds treated with BWCS and those treated with standard care in the home-visiting clinic using Kaplan-Meier curve. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to ascertain the effect of BWCS on wound healing.

Study 1 - the median of biofilm removal proportion was 38.9% for pressure ulcers treated with standard care compared to 65.2% for those treated with ultrasonic debridement.

Study 2 - the proportion of wound healing within 90 days was found to be significantly higher in wounds treated with BWCS compared to those treated with standard care. The adjusted hazard ratio of BWCS for wound healing was estimated as 4.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-15.0; p = 0.015).

BWCS could therefore be a promising strategy for visualizing biofilms not accompanied by necrotic tissue and for the promotion of healing in chronic wounds.

Source: Mori Y, Nakagami G, Kitamura A, et al. Effectiveness of biofilm-based wound care system on wound healing in chronic wounds. Wound Repair Regen. 2019 Sep;27(5):540-547.