WOUND IRRIGATION WITH TAP WATER

Objective: The study hypothesis was that irrigation with tap water is as efficacious as irrigation with sterile saline in removing bacteria from simple lacerations in preparation for wound closure. Methods: The study was conducted in a laboratory rat model previously described in the literature for evaluating wound irrigation techniques. The study used a randomized, blinded crossover design using 10 animals. Two full -thickness skin lacerations were made on each animal and each wound wa s inoculated with standardized concentrations of a Staphylococcus aure us broth. Wounds were irrigated for 4 minutes with normal saline from a syringe or 4 minutes with tap water from a faucet. Tissue specimens were sampled from each laceration prior to and following irrigation. B acterial counts per gram of tissue were determined for each specimen a nd compared pre- and postirrigation. Results: Preirrigation bacterial counts were not significantly different for saline vs tap water specim ens. The wounds irrigated with saline had a mean reduction in bacteria l count of 54.7% (SD = +/-28%), while the wounds irrigated with tap wa ter had a mean reduction in bacterial count of 80.6% (SD +/-20) (p < 0 .05, 2-tailed, paired t-test). Conclusions: In this animal model, bact erial decontamination of simple lacerations was not compromised, and w as actually improved using tap water irrigation. This is most likely d ue to the mechanical differences in the types of irrigation. In certai n instances, such as with upper-extremity lacerations, tap water irrig ation would likely be cheaper and less labor-intensive than irrigation with normal saline from a syringe.