Managing contaminated wounds without antibiotics

Systemic antimicrobial therapy requires larger doses of antimicrobials and impacts the entire body. Local antimicrobial therapy allows tailored use of antimicrobials or bacterial reduction strategies that do not impact the rest of the body. If antibiotics are to be used, it is important to use an appropriate antibiotic for the bacteria present in the wound, whether used systemically or locally. The most basic antibiotic that is effective should always be used. Indiscriminate use of ‘highlevel’ antibiotics only increases the possibility of antimicrobial resistance. New information on the ability of biofilms to transfer resistance to other bacteria should be considered whenever choosing any antibiotic that is generally considered a ‘high-level’ antibiotic ...