Objective: To clinically compare the healing of abscess wounds dressed with either crude undiluted honey or Edinburgh University solution of lime (EUSOL).
Design: A prospective clinical randomized study.
Location: The Isolation Children's Ward of the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, an affiliate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Subjects: Thirty-two (32) Nigerian children with 43 pyomyositis abcesses.
Interventions: All subjects had fresh surgical incision and drainage of the abcesses and a 21-day course of ampicillin plus cloxacillin (Ampiclox) and gentamicin; the wounds were left to close spontaneously with twice-daily wound dressing with packing of the abscess cavity with either honey- or EUSOL-soaked gauze in two randomized treatment groups.
Outcome measures: The clinical conditions of the wound sites were documented on days 1, 3, 7, and 21 as either clean or dirty, dry or wet, granulation tissue present or absent, and epithelialization present or absent; the length of hospital stay was also measured.
Results: Honey-treated wounds demonstrated quicker healing and the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in patients with honey-treated wounds than those treated with EUSOL (t = 2.45, p = 0.019).
Conclusions: Honey is a superior wound dressing agent to EUSOL. Honey is recommended for the dressing of infected wounds, more so in tropical countries, where it is most readily available.