2006 Traumatic Wound Debridement A Comparison Of Irrigation Methods

Description: Traumatic Wound Debridement: A Comparison of Irrigation Methods. Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. 20(2):83-88, February 2006. Draeger, Reid W BS; Dahners, Laurence E MD Conclusions: There has been some concern regarding damage produced by high-pressure pulsatile lavage (HPPL). According to our quantitative soft tissue damage data, tissue treated by HPPL was damaged significantly more than tissue treated with bulb syringe or suction irrigation. Our qualitative tissue damage grade data showed that HPPL treated test groups appeared more damaged than other irrigation groups. Surprisingly, HPPL removed significantly less inorganic contaminant than other debridement methods, and it is proposed that HPPL may drive some contaminants deeper into the tissue rather than removing them. This study seems to support the concept that suction and sharp debridement, as practiced by most surgeons, may remove foreign bodies well without the use of HPPL.