A number of cases that came into the operating room for minor surgeries had caught my attention in some way; sometimes, a surgery that was performed wouldn't be how the same scenario in a U.S. hospital would be treated (in large part due to a lack of equipment or supplies), and there were common themes amongst many of the minor surgeries - motorcycle-accident-related injuries and secondary infections of surgical sites.
Today, a man came into surgery following up from an operation where the orthopedic surgeon screwed in a bone plate to mend his fractured tibia at the ankle from a motorcycle accident. As I have heard from hospital staff and noticed in surgery, maintaining sterile equipment and protocol is not easy; consequently, secondary infections are often seen.
This patient in particular had a malignant infection of the soft tissue surrounding the bone plate and open wound that was about 1" long, 0.75" wide and 0.5" deep; this hole in his ankle exposed the bone plate.
The doctor first responded by taking a culture and then cleaning the tissue with a couple solutions. The next thing she would use to finish dressing the wound had me struggling to keep my jaw from dropping. The doctor had brought with her a reused plastic water bottle filled with honey (the same honey we consume) to pour the sugary sap into the wound. She filled the hole until the honey just began to overflow out of the wound. She must have realized that this technique would surprise me, as she quickly explained to me why she had filled the injury site with honey without me needing to ask the question.
She explained that bacteria, as many of us know, consume sugars (carbohydrates) to obtain energy. As such, the bacteria will feed on the honey uncontrollably until they explode. Apparently, this should help ease the infection, along with a general antibiotic medicine, until the results from the culture come back to identify the specific bacterial species.
I wish I had the opportunity to follow up with the patient to have seen how the infection would progress and how his injury would heal … and to have seen if the same sticky bee product I use to add a sweet flavor to my toast and biscuits works to alleviate infections, too.
Today, a man came into surgery following up from an operation where the orthopedic surgeon screwed in a bone plate to mend his fractured tibia at the ankle from a motorcycle accident. As I have heard from hospital staff and noticed in surgery, maintaining sterile equipment and protocol is not easy; consequently, secondary infections are often seen.
This patient in particular had a malignant infection of the soft tissue surrounding the bone plate and open wound that was about 1" long, 0.75" wide and 0.5" deep; this hole in his ankle exposed the bone plate.
The doctor first responded by taking a culture and then cleaning the tissue with a couple solutions. The next thing she would use to finish dressing the wound had me struggling to keep my jaw from dropping. The doctor had brought with her a reused plastic water bottle filled with honey (the same honey we consume) to pour the sugary sap into the wound. She filled the hole until the honey just began to overflow out of the wound. She must have realized that this technique would surprise me, as she quickly explained to me why she had filled the injury site with honey without me needing to ask the question.
She explained that bacteria, as many of us know, consume sugars (carbohydrates) to obtain energy. As such, the bacteria will feed on the honey uncontrollably until they explode. Apparently, this should help ease the infection, along with a general antibiotic medicine, until the results from the culture come back to identify the specific bacterial species.
I wish I had the opportunity to follow up with the patient to have seen how the infection would progress and how his injury would heal … and to have seen if the same sticky bee product I use to add a sweet flavor to my toast and biscuits works to alleviate infections, too.