The use of antiseptics in the treatment of wounds with a high risk of infection

Wound antiseptics have undergone a renaissance due to the introduction of highly effective antimicrobial agents for treating wounds and the spread of multiresistant microorganisms. There is an obvious need to formulate strict indications for the use of these drugs. An infected or critically colonized wound requires antiseptic treatment. In addition, in the case of the spread of infection, systemic antibiotic therapy is necessary. The proactive use of the WAR scale (Wounds-at-Risk Score scale for assessing the risk of infection of a wound in points) makes it possible to evaluate the risk of infection from the resulting score and, therefore, the advisability of prescribing antiseptics. The content of this updated consensus recommendation continues to boil down mainly to a discussion of the properties of octenidine dihydrochloride (OCT), polyhexanide and iodophors.