Reducing infection in chronic leg ulcers with an activated carbon cloth dressing.

Zorflex is a new type of antimicrobial dressing composed of 100% activated carbon cloth. It attracts and binds bacteria to its surface, enabling them to be safely removed at dressing change. It has no reported toxic effects and can be used on either a short-or long-term basis. This article describes 4 case studies in which patients with recalcitrant chronic venous leg ulcers that were prone to recurrent infection were treated with the activated carbon cloth dressing. All of the wounds had failed to respond to antimicrobial dressings containing silver, iodine or polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB), and were heavily exuding and painful. In all cases, the signs of infection reduced significantly within 4 weeks, resulting in good patient outcomes.