A Practical Essay on the Use of the Nitrate of Silver in the Treatment of Inflammation, Wounds, and Ulcers

Higginbottom, John

doi:10.1097/00000441-186604000-00037

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Silver has been used since antiquity as an antimicrobial agent for water purification[ 11 ]. Records of silver use for the treatment of wounds is recorded as early as the 19 th century, when application of silver sutures, foil, and silver nitrate were used to treat ulcers and surgical wounds[ 12 – 15 ]. The use of silver in medicine declined with the introduction of antibiotics, but as the threat of resistance continues to rise[ 16 , 17 ] silver is again becoming an important option, particularly in the treatment of chronic wounds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the microbiome of chronic wounds with use of a topical antimicrobial dressing – A feasibility study

Kalan

Zhou

Labbie³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundPolymicrobial communities colonize all wounds, and biofilms are hypothesized to be a key link to the chronic state and stalled healing. Molecular methods offer greater insight when studying microbial ecology in chronic wounds, as only a small fraction of wound bacteria are cultured by currently available methods and studies have shown little agreement between culture and molecular based approaches. Some interventions, like dressings with oxidized silver, are reported to help the stalled wounds move to a normal healing trajectory but the underlying mechanisms are difficult to measure. One hypothesis is that the use of topical antimicrobial dressings targets the wound microbiome and reduces bioburden.ObjectivesOur objective was to determine if culture-independent molecular methods could be used to identify the microbial composition in chronic wounds, and measure the microbiome over time when a topical antimicrobial dressing is used to reduce bioburden.MethodsPatients with chronic wounds defined as >6 weeks in duration and not taking systemic antibiotics were recruited to participate. A wound contact layer containing silver oxynitrate was applied immediately after routine sharp debridement material was collected and swabs of the wound bed taken. Next-generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene in each specimen was used to measure the microbiome.ResultsDistinct bacterial communities were observed between swab and debridement samples, highlighting spatial differences and the importance of sampling consistency. The microbial communities appeared to be similar between different diabetes statuses, but different among the three wound categories included.ConclusionsCulture-independent methods can be applied to measure the microbiome of chronic wounds even when a topical antimicrobial dressing is applied to the wound.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the microbiome of chronic wounds with use of a topical antimicrobial dressing – A feasibility study

Kalan

Zhou

Labbie³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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“…It was first described in 1829 by Hugginbottom for the management of inflammatory wounds and ulcers. 1 Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound which, when exposed to water, ionizes into free silver ions which act on tissues and blood vessels to cause coagulation, necrosis and thrombus fromation. 2 Its antiseptic action is primarily related to apoptosis leading to cell death.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4 These lesions are common and are often managed by direct application of silver nitrate especially after taking biopsies due to use its dual effect. 1 Silver nitrate not only provides haemostasis but also inhibits fibroblast proliferation resulting in rapid resolution of granulation tissues. 3 The compound appears densely radio-opaque on computerized tomography (CT) imaging mimicking bony fragments and foreign bodies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Erroneous Appearance of Silver Nitrate on CT Imaging in Patients with Severe Otitis Externa; A Case Series

Javed¹,

Hashmi²,

Qayyum³

2022

Preprint

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Introduction Silver nitrate is commonly used within otolaryngology to treat granulation tissue in severe otitis externa. It appears radio-opaque on CT (computed tomography) imaging and therefore can mimic bony fragments and foreign bodies. This is particularly cumbersome when the phenomena correlates to the clinical complaint. Discussion We report two cases of 73-year-old and 75-year-old males who presented with chronic otalgia and discharge. Granulation tissue in the external auditory canal was identified and chemically cauterised with silver nitrate. Subsequent CT petrous bones demonstrated an unidentified foreign body in the canal with extensive soft tissue swelling giving an impression of a wick in situ and “minor bony erosion in the left external acoustic canal” respectively. An additional CT of a 57-year-old female who had been treated with silver nitrate for granulomatous tissue reported “multiple highly radiopaque foci in the external auditory canal, suggestive of foreign body”. Though relatively unknown, this phenomenon has been reported in literature. However, there are few reports of silver nitrate artefacts in CT images of the head no cases in the context of otitis externa. Our patients avoided further imaging or surgery following clarification with the radiologists and symptomatic improvement with long-term intravenous antibiotics. Conclusion Given the prevalence of CT imaging and cauterization in otolaryngology, we recommend contemporaneously documenting the use of silver nitrate and highlighting this on request forms to avoid alarming erroneous reports, unnecessary investigation and surgical procedures. We also recommend, where clinically acceptable, to use silver nitrate prior to imaging.

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A Practical Essay on the Use of the Nitrate of Silver in the Treatment of Inflammation, Wounds, and Ulcers

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Measuring the microbiome of chronic wounds with use of a topical antimicrobial dressing – A feasibility study

Measuring the microbiome of chronic wounds with use of a topical antimicrobial dressing – A feasibility study

The Erroneous Appearance of Silver Nitrate on CT Imaging in Patients with Severe Otitis Externa; A Case Series

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