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Purpose Orthopaedic-related wounds are critical situations calling for care to avoid deep infections and its consequences.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efcacy of using honey for care of orthopaedic-related wounds with limited
resources.
Patients and methods This prospective study included 50 cases with an average age of 38.18 (range 17–63) years with 38
males and 12 females. The most frequent wound location was the leg (41 patients; 82%), then the foot (six patients; 12%),
and the ankle in three patients (6%). The aetiologies were open fractures (34 cases; 68%), infected tibial non-unions (nine
cases; 18%), and post-operative infections (seven cases; 14%). Exposed tendon was present in three cases. Bone exposure
was present in two cases. Deep infection was present in 29 cases (58%). Besides treating the primary cause, a ribbon of gauze
soaked with honey was applied to the wounds after thorough saline washing.
Results Wound sizes were variable. All cases showed improvement in all parameters with complete wound healing and full
coverage of bone and tendons. Recurrence of deep infection occurred in three cases and treated by debridement. One case
needed sequestrectomy of a small exposed tibial cortical fragment. Exposed tendon cases showed superfcial necrosis which
was treated by simple debridement. Initial mild itching occurred in fve patients with spontaneous resolution.
Conclusion With treating the underlying aetiology and optimising the patient’s general condition, honey was an efective,
simple, and afordable method of wound care in diferent orthopaedic conditions even with exposed bone or tendons.
Keywords Orthopaedic wounds · Open fractures · Infected non-union · Honey dressing · Postoperative infections ·