Efficacy of the topical silver in reducing the area of infected wounds - a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effects of using topical silver versus silver-free dressings to reduce the area of infected wounds. In view of the emergence, in recent years, of silver dressings in the treatment of wounds, making it worthwhile to gather evidence on this fact. Method: This work is a systematic review guided by the Prisma guidelines, using the MedLine / Pubmed database, SciELO and manual search. Randomized clinical trials in English, Portuguese and Spanish were included, comparing treatments with topical silver and without silver in reducing exudation from the area of infected wounds. CONSORT was used as a method of evaluating the quality of articles, including those with scores of at least 70%. Results: four studies were found that contemplate objectives. All of them showed superiority in favor of the use of silver due to the reduction of the wound area. The main risks of bias considered are those of wear, publication, detection and performance. Conclusion: Silver treatment was superior to treatment with dressings that do not use silver to reduce the injured area in burns, surgical wounds, ulcers, diabetic and infected feet. However, studies with a larger sample value are still needed to clarify a better approach.