Successful treatment of a diabetic foot ulcer with exposed bone using Trigona honey: a case study
Abstract
Many studies have shown that honey might improve wound healing. However, its efficacy for large wounds which may be followed by a systemic effect remains unclear. The effectiveness of honey-based dressings in treating large diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) is still unknown. This study presents the case of a 38-year-old female patient presenting with an extensive infected DFU with exposed bone. The DFU was treated with propolis-enriched Trigona honey, used as a single treatment, in a home visit setting. After two months’ follow-up, the wound exhibited complete re-epithelialisation despite the patient’s initial poor condition.
Wound treatment requires a holistic, team-based approach to achieve an effective wound healing process.1,2 This may involve wound care specialist nurses, surgeons, podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists and other health professionals, working together to restore organ structure and function, lost due to injury.1,2 The key treatment is wound bed preparation. This preparation follows the principles of TIME: tissue preparation (removal of devitalised tissue), infection/inflammation control, moisture imbalance and epithelial edge advancement.3,4 An important element of this framework is the dressing used which is essential for maintaining an ideal wound environment.5
There are numerous types of ointments and active agent-impregnated wound dressings that can be used as a topical agent for wound care and one that is widely used is honey. Honey treatment for wound healing has been used for thousands of years, traceable back to Egypt's ancient times.6,7 Its application ranges from acute wounds, such as surgical incision wounds to hard-to-heal ulcers, such as diabetic foot ulcers (DFU).8 It is only in the past several decades that studies, including randomised controlled trials (RCT), have explained how the properties of honey boosts and improves the wound healing process.7-10
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