apigenin and Pressure-Ulcer

Though essential oils are a proven antiseptic, little work has investigated their use on chronic wounds. This article describes the progress and problems of a small study of five patients, who were treated with lavender and chamomile essential oils.

Topics: Administration, Cutaneous; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Chamomile; Chronic Disease; Female; Foot Ulcer; Humans; Lavandula; Male; Middle Aged; Oils, Volatile; Phytotherapy; Pressure Ulcer; Sample Size; Severity of Illness Index; Skin Care; Treatment Outcome; Wound Healing

In pressure sore wounds after spinal cord injury, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus can be detected in 2% of the cases. The elimination of the germ is the aim of the treatment. Pressure sore wounds are an often found complication after spinal cord injury. For local treatment five commercially available antiseptics for the skin and mucous membrane were tested in vitro. The method used is a modified qualitative and quantitative suspension test. The antiseptics were tested without and with addition of 5% albumin in order to simulate the conditions of the wound in vivo. The results show a superior efficacy of the povidone-iodine preparations. Betadine, probably due to the higher concentration, is more efficacious than Braunol; chlorhexidine is sufficiently efficacious without the addition of albumin. These results still have to be confirmed by in vivo studies.

Topics: Anti-Infective Agents, Local; Biguanides; Chamomile; Chlorhexidine; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Flavonoids; Humans; Imines; Iodophors; Methicillin Resistance; Oils, Volatile; Plants, Medicinal; Povidone-Iodine; Pressure Ulcer; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas Infections; Pyridines; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Serum Albumin; Skin; Spinal Cord Injuries; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus aureus