Interest is growing in dressing technologies that manage bacteria without releasing antimicrobial substances. In this article, Ashley Clydesdale questions: is it time to re-evaluate silver’s role in today’s wound care?
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widely recognised as one of the most critical global health challenges of the 21st century, with the World Health Organization warning that it threatens the very core of modern medicine.1 Recent analysis identified that globally 4.95 million deaths in 2019 were associated with antibiotic resistant bacteria,2 the equivalent of the population of New Zealand dying in one year. If the situation is left unaddressed, it is estimated that AMR related infections could cause 8.22 million deaths each year, by 2050, globally.3
Antimicrobials, like antibiotics, antiseptics and antivirals, are medicines that help prevent and treat infections in people, animals, and plants. AMR happens when microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change so that these medicines no longer work. This makes infections harder to treat and can lead to more illness and even death. While resistance can occur naturally over time, it is sped up by the misuse and overuse of these medicines in healthcare and farming, in particular with antibiotics.
AMR is a major challenge in wound care, particularly in immunocompromised patients and those frequently exposed to hospitals.4 Studies show that up to 20% of wound microbes may be resistant.5 Against that backdrop, infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), which focuses on ensuring the responsible and effective use of antimicrobial medicines, are increasingly fundamental to the future of safe wound care and wider health outcomes.
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