It’s less about no microbes than starting with a reasonable amount. As long as the wound is cleaned of debris and large amounts of dead tissue, one’s immune system will typically be able to prevent bacterial overgrowth or handle a small amount of pathogenic bacteria. I make the distinction in the hope that people don’t go overboard with disinfection. You just need good enough.
I had a sizable wound treated with a hydrocolloid bandage. They’re sealed to form a moist environment by retaining exudate and are changed every 5-7 days. No antibiotics are used. It should have been a festering mess according to previous wisdom, but it was fine the entire time.
All the WOCN I interact with say emollient (such as Vaseline) is fine but covering traps bacteria.
If you disinfect and cover, there should be no bacteria.
Dress the wound, change dressing routinely, reapply antiseptic when doing so.
It’s less about no microbes than starting with a reasonable amount. As long as the wound is cleaned of debris and large amounts of dead tissue, one’s immune system will typically be able to prevent bacterial overgrowth or handle a small amount of pathogenic bacteria. I make the distinction in the hope that people don’t go overboard with disinfection. You just need good enough.
I had a sizable wound treated with a hydrocolloid bandage. They’re sealed to form a moist environment by retaining exudate and are changed every 5-7 days. No antibiotics are used. It should have been a festering mess according to previous wisdom, but it was fine the entire time.