Review: infection rates do not differ for wounds cleansed with water or saline.

QUESTION How does water compare with other solutions for cleansing wounds? REVIEW SCOPE Included studies compared water with other solutions for cleansing acute or chronic wounds or with no cleansing and reported objective outcome measures. Studies assessing cleansing solutions as part of dental procedures, prophylaxis, preoperative or operative procedures, and those of patients with burns or ulcers were excluded. Outcomes included wound infection and healing. databases; and reference lists were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs. Authors, experts, and companies were contacted. 5 RCTs and 6 quasi-RCTs (age range 2–95 y) met the selection criteria; duration of follow-up ranged from 1 to 6 weeks. MAIN RESULTS Meta-analysis showed that tap water reduced infections compared with saline for cleansing acute wounds (table). Individual studies showed that tap water and saline did not differ for infections or healing of chronic wounds (table); distilled water and saline, cool boiled water and saline, and distilled and cool boiled water did not differ for infections (table). No RCTs compared water with no cleansing or tap water with cool boiled water. CONCLUSION Infection rates do not differ for wounds cleansed with water or saline. Source of funding: no external funding.