OBJECTIVE: Hydrogel dressings are commonly used as wound dressings and provide a moist environment in the wound area. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely considered as useful therapeutic agents for the prevention and eradication of wound colonization by microorganisms. Recently, there has been a hydrogel dressing that consists of carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel with blue AgNPs. It provides a moist and optimal healing environment for pain relief and protection from infection. This study aimed to evaluate the use of blue AgNPs hydrogel in acute and chronic wound care.

METHODS: From September 2017 to September 2018, 62 wound sites from 39 patients were randomized to receive daily application of either the blue AgNPs hydrogel (31 wound sites from 20 patients) or a commercially available reference hydrogel (31 wound sites from 19 patients). The primary outcome was wound area reduction, expressed as the wound healing rate; secondary outcomes included pain intensity and infection prevention.

RESULTS: The blue AgNPs and reference hydrogels were comparable in terms of wound area reduction and pain scores during the changing of wound dressings, with no significant differences (p > 0.05). Patients in the blue AgNPs hydrogel group showed low rates of bacterial infection for both gram-negative and gram-positive strains; in particular, there was almost complete prevention of infection by gram-positive strains at day 21 after treatment initiation.

CONCLUSION: The blue AgNPs hydrogel may be effective in preventing bacterial infections of both gram-negative and gram-positive strains at 14–21 days. Thus, the blue AgNPs hydrogel is a promising material for therapeutic applications in wound care.