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lntroduction:

Devitalised tissue may present as sloughy or necrotic tissue within a wound or it may form dead, scaly tissue as hyperkeratosis in the peri wound area of chronic wounds. lf this tissue is not removed, healing may be delayed and the risk of infection is increased. As there are no standardised methods of debridement, and evidence is low, practitioners who are untarined in sharp debridement rely on autolytic debridement of necrotic tissue with occlusive and other dressings. ln the UK hyperkeratotic skin surrounding leg ulcers is softened by soaking the leg in a bucket of water with emollients and picking off the scales with forceps. 8oth methods can be time consuming with additional costs of nursing time and associated products for dressing changes

Aim:

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new method of debridement for a non specialist setting

Method:

An evaluative study compared the new intervention with standard best practice in the clinic. Patient consent was obtained and treatmentwas measured on standardised case report forms.

Results:

10 patients completed the study. The debriding product was easy to use, removing devitalised tissue and hyperkeratosis more quickly than standard treatments, particularly for hyperkeratosis. Time to treat was decreased and patients found the treatment comfortable