Five Reasons to Switch to Pulsed Lavage

Author David Whiteside

Published Apr 06, 2023

Wound care is a critical aspect of medical treatment, and it's essential to have the right tools and techniques to provide effective care. One of the most innovative and effective treatments available is pulsed lavage. In this article, we'll discuss five reasons why you should consider switching to this technique for the care and treatment of a variety of wounds.

Having access to the right tools and techniques allows wound care professionals to experience better patient outcomes. Pulsed lavage—or pressurized wound cleansing—is a widely used and accepted method in modern (advanced) wound care. We’ve compiled five key benefits of incorporating pulsed lavage into your wound care treatment protocol.

1. Improved Wound Cleansing

Pulsed lavage is a highly effective method for cleaning wounds, removing debris and promoting healing. The pulsating pressure of the treatment liquid and effective PSI helps to remove bacteria, dead tissue, and other contaminants from the wound bed, thus reducing the risk of infection and promoting healing. Because of the increased pressurization, pulsed lavage is more effective than traditional wound care methods, such as irrigation with a syringe, as it provides a more thorough and consistent cleaning of the wound site¹.

2. Pain Reduction & Patient Comfort

Despite its often urgent necessity, the experience of having a wound cared for, or caring for their own wound, can often be a painful and uncomfortable experience for patients. This is especially true if the wound is large, deep, or infected. Employing pulsed lavage methods, however, ensures a much gentler and less painful method of wound care. The pulsating liquid pressure is more comfortable for patients and reduces the risk of further injury to the wound. This is especially important for patients who are already in pain or who have slow healing wounds.

3. Increased Efficiency

Pulsed lavage is a much more efficient method of wound care than many traditional methods. The pulsating pressure helps to remove debris and contaminants from the wound more quickly and effectively, reducing the amount of time required to clean the wound¹⁻². This increased efficiency can be especially beneficial in busy medical settings where time is of the essence. Emergency care settings are a great example.

4. Better Visibility

To provide the best care, a practitioner must first see what they’re doing. Pulsed lavage provides significantly improved visibility of the wound site during the cleansing process. The nature of the pulsating liquid pressure helps to clear the way—in other words, it helps to remove debris and contaminants from the wound, providing medical professionals a clearer view of the wound¹⁻².

This improved visibility can help care professionals to identify and treat any problems more quickly and effectively, reducing the risk of further injury or complications.

5. Cost-Effective

In an industry that requires a particular eye on unit economics and material efficiency, pulsed lavage asserts itself as a cost-effective method of wound care. The reduced amount of time required for cleaning and the improved efficiency of the process combine to result in lower costs for medical professionals and their purchasing departments.

Further, the reduced risk of infection and other complications associated with pulsed lavage can result in lower costs for patients, as well. A 2006 study showed that pulsed lavage irrigation with 3 litres of saline solution resulted in a reduction of approximately the same amount of bacteria as did irrigation with 9 litres with use of a standard bulb syringe². The study concluded that pulsed lavage irrigation allows for more effective decontamination of wounds in less time with respectively less cleansing solution.

Can Pulsed Lavage Be Made Even More Effective?

The short answer is a resounding “yes!”

Now that we’ve established the effectiveness and efficiency of pulsed lavage in medical settings where caring for wounds is prevalent, it’s important to remember that there are more options out there for the cleanser used in pulsed lavage treatment than your standard saline solution.

As an antimicrobial wound & skin cleansing solution, BIHOCL PureCleanse offers the inert safety profile of standard saline, but combines it with the active antimicrobial power of pure hypochlorous acid (HOCl). BIHOCL also offers unique probe and shield attachments that serve as applicators. They screw perfectly onto the BIHOCL PureCleanse bottle for highly effective, easy-to-use manual pulsed lavage.

Ultimately, pulsed lavage—whether powered or manual—is a highly effective and innovative method of wound care that offers numerous benefits over traditional methods. From improved wound cleansing and reduced pain and discomfort, to increased efficiency and better visibility, pulsed lavage is an excellent choice for medical professionals looking to care for all types of wounds in an effective, efficient manner.

References

Luedtke-Hoffmann, K. A., & Schafer, D. S. (2000). Pulsed lavage in wound cleansing. Physical Therapy, 80(3), 292-300.
Svoboda, M. S. J., Bice, T. G., Gooden, H. A., Brooks, D. E., Thomas, D. B., & Wenke, J. C. (2006). Comparison of bulb syringe and pulsed lavage irrigation with use of a bioluminescent musculoskeletal wound model. JBJS , 88(10), 2167-2174.