Silver may be waste of money - for leg ulcers
Thursday October 15th, 2009
Hospitals may be wasting money on expensive silver dressings for leg ulcers - when ordinary dressings would be just as good, British researchers have reported.
The NHS is thought to spend about £25 million a year on silver-coated anti-microbial dressings for venous leg ulcers.
Now two senior surgeons say there is no evidence that silver-coated dressings make any difference to patients.
They have reported a study of more than 200 patients in BJS - the British Journal of Surgery.
They said healing and quality of life for patients treated with standard dressings was just as good as those treated with silver dressings.
Professor Jonathan Michaels, of the Sheffield Vascular Institute, said: "A great variety of different dressings are used, but quality evidence for the benefits of specific dressings is sparse and systematic reviews have shown no statistically significant difference in the number of ulcers healed between any of the dressing types.
"The use of antimicrobial dressings has become widespread, particularly for venous ulcers, based on an anticipated advantage over simple dressings.
"As venous ulcers are common, and antimicrobial dressings are relatively expensive, their use has potentially large consequences for health services."
Michaels J A, Campbell B, King B, Palfreyman S J, Shackley P and Stevenson M. BJS. 96, 1147-1156 (October 2009). DOI: 10.1002/bjs.6786
Tags: Dermatology | Nursing & Midwifery | UK News
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