Buckwheat Honey Used in New Wound Dressing

The Use of MelMax(R) in the Healing of Chronic Wounds
British Journal of Nursing, Vol. 18, Iss. 11 Suppl, 11 Jun 2009, pp S30 - S35

Chronic wounds can have detrimental consequences for the quality of life of patients as well as presenting a huge financial burden to the NHS. An imbalance in the level of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) in chronic wounds impedes the healing process. In addition, high levels of bacteria in the wound bed are a common feature of chronic wounds and also cited as a major cause of delayed healing.

The aim of this article is to look in more detail at the role of MMPs in wound healing as well as the antimicrobial properties of honey when combined with a dressing to combat wound infection.

The article also introduces a new dressing, MelMax(R) (distributed by CliniMed), which utilizes protease regulation and the antimicrobial properties of honey when addressing chronic wound infection. Short-term case studies are used to demonstrate how the dressing was successfully incorporated into the author's practice.