Abstract

Background: Chronic non-healing foot wounds are common complication in the diabetic population. Local radiant heat bandage has recently been proposed as an effective adjuvant. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of such bandage in controlling infection in an ovine ischemic wound model.
Material/Methods: Bilateral flank ischemic wounds were created in a total of 42 sheep. 14 sheep were challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), 13 with Escherichia Coli (EC), and 15 with Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The left flank was designated the treatment side and the right the control side. The radiant heat bandage was applied for a total of 10 days. The animal were
then euthanized and the wounds harvested for bacterial quantification.
Results: 39 sheep completed the study. Mean bacterial counts were has follows: for MRSA, control 7.6×105 CFU/gm vs. heated 2.0×105 CFU/gm (p=0.16); for EC, control 1.1×106 CFU/gm vs. heated 2.7×105 CFU/gm (p=0.006); PA, control 1.7×106 CFU/gm vs. heated 3.9×109 CFU/gm (p=0.001).
Conclusion: Non-contact radiant bandages controls bacterial growth in ischemic wounds infected with MRSA or EC and may potentially improve wound healing. Wounds infected with PA should no be submitted to such treatment.

Keywords: Bandages, Colony Count, Microbial, Diabetic Foot - microbiology, Diabetic Foot - therapy, Escherichia coli Infections - therapy, Heat - therapeutic use, Ischemia, Pseudomonas Infections - therapy, Sheep, Skin Diseases, Bacterial - therapy, Staphylococcal Skin Infections - therapy, Wound Healing, Wound Infection - microbiology, Wound Infection - therapy