Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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AN UP-TO-DATE ON POVIDONE-IODINE WITH FOCUS ON WOUND MANAGEMNT: CURRENT AVAILABLE DATA AND NEW APPROACHES

ALINA CHELMUȘ-BURLACU 1*, LENUȚA PROFIRE 2, DRAGOȘ PIEPTU 1,3

1“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași, Faculty of Medicine, 16 Universității Street, Iași, Romania 2“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași, Faculty of Pharmacy, 16 Universității Street, Iași, Romania 3Plastic Surgery Department, Regional Oncology Institute, 2-4 General Henri Mathias Berthelot Street, Iași, Romania

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Wound care, mainly chronic wounds and burns with difficult bioburden control and at high risk of infection or biofilm development, remains a challenge. Between antiseptics, as a good option for wound management, povidone-iodine (PVI) is one of the most commonly used. Although with a broad spectrum and efficacy including on biofilms, the available data is controversial, especially regarding its effects on wound healing. Thus, the aim of this paper was to evaluate recent publish data, including original research papers and case reports. Literature search was conducted in PubMed, using a key terms strategy for papers published from 2021 up to present. Out of 101 results, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 24 papers were selected for in depth analysis and divided in three categories: reviews, original research and case reports. Out of the selected papers, 6 (25%) were reviews, including two systematic reviews on clinical trials and 3 (12.5%) case reports, out which one reported a significant adverse effect. A total of 15 (62.5%) original research papers were included, that reported heterogeneous results in regards with povidone-iodine effects but similar antimicrobial efficacy. The recent data is focused on comparing antiseptics, including PVI, and proposing algorithms for wound management. Although there is heterogeneity between experimental designs, there is a shift towards more complex models. Thus, is emphasising the need for standardized antiseptic tests and clinical guidelines.