Abstract

Title: Nanocrystalline Silver Layer of Knitted Polyester Outperforms Other Silver-Containing Wound Dressings in an In Vitro Wound Model.

Author: Hus, J., Frausto, R., Greenhut, J., Hus, N.

Introduction: Silver possesses cytotoxic properties against many microorganisms and is regularly used in wound care. Current evidence supporting the use of one type of silver-containing wound dressing (SCWD) is insufficient.

Methods: To examine the effectiveness of the SCWD’s ability to inhibit the growth of two strains of bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus) commonly found in wounds, a bacteria based wound model was used. Bacteria were applied to the surface of nutrient agar with embedded SCWDs and incubated at 37°C overnight. Zone of clearance (zc) around each SCWD was measured with calipers from the edge of all 4 sides per each SCWD to the end of the zc.

Results: Acticoat Flex-3 showed the greatest inhibition of bacterial growth. The zc for Acticoat Flex-3 in E. coli and S. aureus lawns were 11.05 +/-0.46mm and 8.70 +/-0.68mm, respectively. The smallest effect observed was for Alginate Ag-3M with zc in E. coli and S. aureus of 1.43 +/-0.10mm and 2.35 +/-0.12mm, respectively.

Conclusions: Acticoat Flex-3 is a Silver-coated polyethylene that outperformed other SCWDs in this study. While the data supports the use of Acticoat Flex-3 as an effective dressing for inhibiting bacterial growth, potential cytotoxic effects to mammalian cells present in a wound bed remains to be evaluated