Topical silver for treating infected wounds

People with chronic wounds such as foot ulcers and leg ulcers and acute wounds such as surgical wounds often find their wound becomes infected. Healing the wound can be delayed by the amount of bacteria on the wound surface. Wound care involves frequent dressing changes. Silver is an antimicrobial and dressings which contain silver have been developed. The authors of this Cochrane review wanted to find evidence on whether silver based dressings reduced infection and encouraged wound healing.

Authors' conclusions: Only three trials with a short follow-up duration were found. There is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of silver-containing dressings or topical agents for treatment of infected or contaminated chronic wounds.