Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now a significant issue, with the United Nations and other international agencies estimating that antimicrobial drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 if no action is taken, costing £66 trillion, or €76.7 trillion (Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2019). AMR increases patient morbidity, extends hospital stay, and increases treatment costs and mortality rates (Fletcher et al, 2020). Therefore, strategies and products are needed that can be incorporated into an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) approach. In wound care, this means using products that are not topical antibiotics (Kramer et al, 2018). Instead, infection should be managed using topical antimicrobials containing agents that do not contribute to AMR, such as silver (Kramer et al, 2018; Edwards-Jones and Spruce, 2019). The Askina® Calgitrol® range (B. Braun) has been designed to manage infection by delivering a controlled and sustained release of silver ions to the wound bed, and is suitable for use in a range of wounds, including common wound types such as venous leg ulcers (VLUs), pressure ulcers (PUs), diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and burns.
