Wound hygiene in the care of patients with lower limb ulceration. A description of three clinical cases

Current guidelines and recommendations for the management of chronic wounds provide invaluable guidance in the care of patients with ulceration. They state that before implementing topical treatment, a thorough diagnosis should be performed, which provides the basis for causal treatment. The next step is to apply the appropriate topical wound treatment according to the current TIMERS strategy (T – tissue debridement, I – infection and inflammation control, M – moisture balance, E – epidermization stimulation, R – repair and regeneration, S – social- and individual-related factors). In order to increase the effectiveness of topical treatment, the concept of Wound Hygiene was developed. It postulates that attention should be paid to washing both the wound and the surrounding skin and cleansing the skin, removing biofilm, taking care of the wound edges, and choosing a dressing. This paper presents three case reports of patients with lower limb ulceration in whom measures consistent with Wound Hygiene were implemented.