A charcoal dressing with silver in wound infection: clinical evidence

Silver, in elemental and compound forms, has a long and successful history as an antimicrobial. In particular, silver has been widely used in wound care, notably the treatment of burns. The relatively recent development of dressings containing silver has led to a resurgence of interest and more widespread use. In order to satisfy the need for clinical evidence on which practice may be based, this review has been compiled using published and unpublished clinical trial data on the most commonly-used silver dressing in the UK. The focus on clinical effectiveness and adverse events associated with treatment interventions in a range of chronic and acute wounds serves as a basis for guidelines on good clinical care of colonised, critically colonised, infected and malodorous wounds. Actisorb Silver 220 is, according to the available evidence from comparative and non-comparative trials involving over 12000 patients, effective in reducing wound malodour, effective in promoting wound healing, and safe.