When Is Wound Care Spray the Right Option?

Having the right products on hand can make all the difference in healing time and infection prevention. There are many options available when choosing a wound care spray, so it’s essential to understand which products best suit different wound types and patient needs.

From sheets and gels to pastes, powders, and foams, wound care supplies come in many different forms, each designed to support optimal healing in various ways. Wound care spray stands out as a convenient and versatile choice.

Wound care sprays can be a cost-effective and easy-to-use option for patients and their caregivers. They provide quick application and even coverage over wounds. Let’s explore their specific categories and learn how these sprays are beneficial in certain circumstances.

Wound cleansing spray

Spray wound cleansers are designed to remove drainage and debris. When used with sterile gauze and good, firm cleansing, they can also facilitate biofilm removal.

Avoid spraying directly into a wound as this can create splash back and could also potentially harm newly forming tissue. When irrigating a wound with a spray or a syringe/needle combination, you’ll want to keep the psi below 15 to avoid destroying delicate tissue. A psi in the seven to nine range is acceptable for basic irrigation. It’s important to know your item’s psi when using sprays of any kind into an open wound.

Saline is a common wound care spray for cleansing wounds. It is widely available and its isotonic nature keeps it from harming delicate tissue. It is also very cost effective for patients and medical facilities.

Another common cleansing spray is surfactant wound cleansers. These usually contain polymers that help create an ideal healing environment. They’re also widely available, inexpensive, and easy to use.

Antiseptic wound spray

This type of wound care spray slows or prevents the growth of microorganisms in a wound and the surrounding skin, which is primarily used to prevent infection.

Two common types of antiseptic sprays are hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol, which are relatively easy to find due to their long history of at-home use. While they’re good at cleaning an initial trauma injury, try to avoid ongoing and routine wound care treatment with these options. These two sprays are abrasive to newly developing granulation tissue and shouldn’t be used on chronic wounds.

Betadine or iodine spray is also widely available and is useful for treating acute trauma wounds. However, as with hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol, betadine/iodine can be irritating to developing tissue and can slow the wound healing process. Therefore, avoid using this product in routine wound care of chronic wounds during the proliferative healing phase.

A few other over-the-counter antiseptic wound care spray options include:

• Sprays containing a benzalkonium chloride/lidocaine HCL combination
• Sprays containing a benzalkonium chloride/pramoxine HCL combination

Benzalkonium is used as an antiseptic, disinfectant, and preservative, while lidocaine and pramoxine help reduce pain and itching in acute trauma wounds. These can be helpful first aid treatments for minor scrapes, bug bites, minor burns, superficial cuts, and scratches. Avoid using these sprays when treating deep wounds, animal bites, significant burns, or chronic wounds.

Wound care spray for chronic wounds

However, one antiseptic wound spray that is often used on chronic wounds is hypochlorous spray, which is available in a variety of brands and strengths. The use of full strength (0.50%) and half strength (0.25%) Dakin’s solution from 20 years ago has been replaced by brands with lower amounts of hypochlorous acid.

The goal is to effectively break down biofilm and treat various bacteria, fungi, yeast, and even multidrug-resistant organisms. Higher strengths of hypochlorous acid, such as those found in Dakin’s solution, are cytotoxic to developing tissues.

Using high strengths may be appropriate to treat an active infection locally but avoid continuing this treatment for a prolonged amount of time. The result will be a stalled wound, epibole, and a wound that is open indefinitely.

Modern use of hypochlorous acid gives us the benefit of a form safer on human tissue. Several hypochlorous acid sprays are safe to use with each dressing change in an infected wound or a wound with a high potential for infection. Their hypochlorous concentration is lower- around 0.014-0.033 range. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has an in-depth study of the various hypochlorous treatment options.

Antibacterial spray

This type of wound spray can be specified to individual patient’s needs. Compounding pharmacies are available to prepare an antibiotic-specific spray (or other delivery mediums such as gel, powder, and impregnated gauze) either as a broad-spectrum or based on specific results of a wound culture.

This service is extremely beneficial in the wound care setting as it can treat a localized infection without the need for systemic treatment with oral antibiotics.

The process is quite easy and includes these steps:

1. Send a referral with recent wound culture results to a compounding pharmacy.
2. The pharmacy will then return a proposed prescription involving an appropriate antibiotic. This step requires the approval of the wound care clinician.
3. The pharmacy will then mail the treatment to the patient’s home. Instructions for use are provided and instruct the patient to bring the treatment to their wound care appointments.

This new treatment option is a great way for providers to treat infections and decrease the risk of side effects.

Antifungal spray

Antifungal sprays such as clotrimazole and miconazole don’t have a significant role in wound care. However, they’re worth mentioning because they’re used in skincare and could be used to treat fungal infections on intact or peri-wound skin. It’s vital to consult your medical provider before using an antifungal spray directly on or near an open wound.

Choosing a wound care spray

When choosing which type of spray to use, consider these questions:

• What does the wound need?
• Is it infected or at risk of infection?
• Do you need an easy way to teach family members how to cleanse a wound with dressing changes?

A stalled wound may benefit from the temporary use of an antiseptic wound care spray to decrease biofilm and bacteria. While a wound with a positive culture may benefit from a culture-driven antibiotic spray. Assessing the wound’s need will help guide your treatment choice.

There are many wound care spray options available, serving a unique purpose in the healing process. These sprays are typically affordable, readily accessible, and simple to apply, making them a convenient addition to any wound care routine. Consider incorporating them into your wound management strategy for effective and efficient treatment.