Keywords
Nursing
Wounds and Injuries
Wound Infection
Systematic Review
How to Cite
Abstract
The aim was to analyze the effectiveness of polyhexamethylene biguanide regarding microbial load and infection incidence in patients with wounds. A systematic review was conducted following the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute and the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist. Studies involving acute or chronic wounds treated with polyhexamethylene biguanide at concentrations between 0.04% and 0.5% were included. Risk-of-bias assessment tools and the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system were used to evaluate the quality of the evidence. Seven studies (three cohort studies, three randomized clinical trials, and one before-and-after study) were included. The risk of bias was low in the clinical trials and moderate in the cohort studies. The quality of evidence was moderate for microbial load and very low for infection. Polyhexamethylene biguanide was effective in reducing microbial load (p < 0.001) and infection incidence (p < 0.001) in acute wounds. The use of polyhexamethylene biguanide is recommended to reduce microbial load and infections in acute wounds. The heterogeneity of interventions and measurement methods highlights the need for further studies. The use of polyhexamethylene biguanide is an effective strategy for controlling microbial load in acute wounds, supporting clinical decision-making.
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