Bacterial cellulose biomaterials for the treatment of lower limb ulcers

ABSTRACT Chronic ulcers of the lower limbs are common and recurrent, especially in the elderly population, they are disabling injuries that generate a great socioeconomic burden. This scenario encourages the development of new, low-cost therapeutic alternatives. The present study aims to describe the use of bacterial cellulose in the treatment of lower limb ulcers. This is an integrative literature review, carried out in the PubMed and Science Direct databases by associating the descriptors, with the inclusion criteria being clinical studies in the last 5 years, available in full in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Five clinical trials were analyzed and the main therapeutic effects obtained in the experimental groups that used bacterial cellulose dressings were a reduction in the area of the wounds, one of the studies showed a reduction of 44.18cm2 in the area of the wound, the initial lesions measured on average 89.46cm2 and at the end of the follow-up, they had an average of 45.28cm2, since the reduction in pain and the decrease in the number of exchanges were advantages described in all groups that used the BS. It is concluded that BC dressings are an alternative for the treatment of lower limb ulcers, their use also reduces operational costs related to the treatment of ulcers.

摘要 下肢慢性溃疡发病率高且易复发，尤其好发于老年人群，属于致残性病症，会造成沉重的社会经济负担。此种临床现状推动了新型低成本治疗方案的研发。本研究旨在探讨细菌纤维素（bacterial cellulose）在下肢慢性溃疡治疗中的应用。本研究为整合性文献综述，以PubMed及Science Direct数据库为检索平台，结合主题词构建检索策略，纳入标准为近5年内发表的临床研究，且需提供完整全文，语言限定为英语、葡萄牙语及西班牙语。本研究共分析5项临床试验，结果显示，使用细菌纤维素敷料的实验组核心治疗效应为创面面积缩小：其中1项研究中创面面积减少44.18cm²，初始病灶平均面积为89.46cm²，随访结束时平均面积降至45.28cm²；此外，所有使用该敷料的组别均报告了疼痛缓解与换药次数减少的优势。研究表明，细菌纤维素敷料是下肢慢性溃疡的治疗备选方案，其应用还可降低溃疡治疗相关的操作成本。