Prontosan for treating acute and chronic wounds

1.1 More research is recommended on Prontosan for treating chronic wounds. There is some evidence that it is clinically effective but not enough to recommend it for routine use. Prontosan is not recommended for treating acute wounds because the evidence is very limited.

1.2 Research should be a randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of Prontosan compared with saline or water in chronic wounds of different types. Wounds should be followed up until completely healed, and time to healing should be measured. Find out more details in further research.

Why the committee made these recommendations

Care of acute or chronic wounds aims to improve their condition, help with healing and minimise risk of complications. Usually, wounds are cleansed with saline or water.

Prontosan is available in 3 different formats: a solution, a gel, and extra thick gel. The solution is used for rinsing and soaking wounds. It can be used alone or with one of the gels. After soaking, the gel can be applied to the wound and left in place until the next dressing change. It aims to prevent build-up of microbes such as bacteria in the wound to help with healing.

Most of the evidence about Prontosan's effectiveness is not of good quality. It may speed up wound healing and reduce infections compared with saline in chronic wounds, but more evidence is needed to confirm this. There is very little evidence about using Prontosan for treating acute wounds.

Cost analyses suggest that Prontosan is cost saving compared with saline in chronic wounds. But there is not enough good quality evidence about its clinical effectiveness, which limits how reliable the cost analysis is. So, more research is recommended to address the uncertainties.