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The patient was a 45-year-old woman
who had developed a leg ulcer above
the right malleolus, which had been
present for one year. She was a
non-smoker and had no underlying
conditions that might have affected
wound healing, although she did
have limited venous return due to
previous trauma to the area.
Nurse visits to treat the patient’s
wound had varied from twice- to
once-weekly, but there had also
been periods when she did not see
nurses for some months. Various
treatment options had been tried,
including iodine and non-adhesive
dressings.
CASE REPORT 1
Figure 1.
The wound at presentation showing white maceration around the edges.
This case shows how the
introduction of a honey-
based foam dressing into
the treatment of a leg ulcer
managed to improve the
condition of the wound bed.
Figure 2.
Wound showing reduced maceration.
Wound progress
During the evaluation an Actilite
Protect dressing was used. The
dressing has a three-in-one structure
(foam, Manuka honey and a silicone
wound contact layer), which was
considered useful in this patient.
At initial presentation, the wound
measured 3x3cm and was 2cm deep.
There was white maceration around
the wound site and the wound bed
itself was dark yellow/red with some
over-granulation. Critical colonisation
was also evident (
Figure 1
).
After one week of treatment with
Actilite Protect, the white maceration
around the wound site had reduced.
Granulation had increased and there
was evidence of further epithelialising
tissue. The depth of the wound
had reduced to 1cm and there
were no longer any signs of critical
colonisation (
Figure 2
).
At the end of week two there
was further granulation and
epithelialisation. The periwound
skin was healthy and the wound had
improved generally, although the
dimensions remained the same as at
the end of week one.
No other dressing was used in
conjunction with the Actilite Protect,
which was rated by the clinician as
very easy to use, apply and remove, as
well as being atraumatic to the wound
bed and periwound skin. The dressing
conformed well to the wound with
no pain on application and removal.
It was also intact on removal and
remained in place as long as expected
with no rolling of the edges.
The clinician also felt that the
dressing’s Manuka honey film layer
helped to prevent infection in the
wound and that overall the dressing
had aided healing, providing a moist
healing environment with a natural
honey component.
The patient also found the
dressing comfortable, and, although
she did experience a little pain with
its use, she was satisfied with the
overall treatment.
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JCN supplement
2015,Vol 29, No 4