Min Zhou,1,* Yuping Liu,2,* Xue Fang,1 Zhezhen Jiang,1 Wang Zhang,1 Xin Wang1 

1Department of Orthopaedics Trauma and Microsurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan City, People’s Republic of China; 2Sichuan University West China Second University Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xin Wang, Department of Orthopedics Trauma and Microsurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan Ctiy, Hubei Province, 430000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-027-67812557, Email wangxinznyy@whu.edu.cn

Purpose: Polyhexanide is a safe and effective wound care antiseptic commonly used in clinics as wound rinsing solution and gel. However, the efficacy of Polyhexanide in treatment of wound infected with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is unknown. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of polyhexanide with povidone iodine in treating wound infected with MRSA.
Patients and Methods: A prospective analysis of 62 patients with wound infections, who were admitted to our department from 2016 to 2020, was conducted in order to assess the efficacy of different treatment approaches. The patients were divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. In the experimental group, 30 patients underwent treatment with a combination of diluted povidone iodine and polyhexanide immersion. Conversely, in the control group, 32 patients received treatment with diluted povidone iodine along with systemic antibiotic therapy. The time required for dressing changes, bacterial clearance rates, and the Bates-Jasen wound assessment tool (BWAT) scores were utilized as indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments.
Results: In our study, the findings indicated that the experimental group exhibited a lesser number of days for the bacteria culture to turn negative compared to the control group, with statistical significance (p< 0.05). Furthermore, the decline in the BWAT score was significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group (p< 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in terms of dressing times and wound coverage between the two groups (p> 0.05).
Conclusion: Polyhexanide combined with povidone iodine can effectively remove MRSA infection in wounds and reduce antibiotic dosages.

Keywords: methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, wound, polyhexanide