Nutritional intervention and its role in wound care has been a controversial topic, according to the authors of a review recently published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyzes by wound type, according to the authors of the review.
The authors of this review attempted to outline the nutrients and methods of administration that were used in identified relevant studies, analyze treatment outcomes, and summarize nutritional efficacy. They also suggested evidence-based conclusions to improve wound healing outcomes and increase the consistency of nutritional intervention in wound care.
The researchers examined 36 studies involving a total of 2,339 patients examining the use of oral, topical, or intravenous (IV) vitamin and / or mineral treatment on many wound types. The wound types were burn wounds (3), pressure ulcers (7), diabetic ulcers (4), venous ulcers (7), finger ulcers (1), skin incisions (9), hypertrophic scars (4) and sinonasal wounds (1).
Improved results have been reported in burn patients after receiving vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, D, and E, as well as zinc, calcium, copper, magnesium, selenium, and zinc; Patients with pressure ulcers who received vitamin C and zinc; Diabetic ulcer patients receiving vitamins A, B9, D, and E; Patients with venous ulcers who received zinc; and patients with hypertrophic scars who received vitamin E.
The authors concluded that based on the data from the review, the use of specific nutritional interventions may improve certain wound healing and further investigation is needed to reach definitive conclusions.
Reference:
1. Saeg, Fouad BS; Orazi, Rita BS; Bowers, Gerald MBS; Janis, Jeffrey EMD Evidence-Based Nutritional Interventions in Wound Care. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. doi: 10.1097 / PRS.0000000000008061
