Advice

Summary

Summary

Oxyzyme and Iodozyme are chronic wound dressings that release iodine and oxygen onto the wound surface. They are intended for use under the supervision of a healthcare professional in any community care setting or hospital by clinical staff such as nurses, or other staff such as podiatrists.

Effectiveness

  • One randomised controlled trial (n=100) reported no significant difference in wound healing outcomes at 12 weeks between Oxyzyme or Iodozyme dressings and standard care.

  • Three non-comparative case series using Oxyzyme or Iodozyme dressings for chronic wounds reported a reduction in the mean wound area over the study period.

  • Results for case series should be interpreted with caution because of the large numbers of withdrawals, incomplete reporting of outcomes and lack of comparator.

Adverse events and safety

  • There were 8 withdrawals from the RCT, 2 in the control arm and 6 in the patients receiving Oxyzyme or Iodozyme dressings. The study reports 26 adverse events. 18 of these were in patients being treated with the Oxyzyme or Iodozyme dressings, of which 3 were dressing related, and 8 adverse events were reported in in the control group. The authors state that the majority of adverse events were related to pain.

  • There were high numbers of withdrawals (55 in total) from the 3 non-comparative case series. The reasons for withdrawal were not recorded as adverse events; 12 were noted as unrelated to the dressing. Reasons for withdrawal included infection, wound deterioration, pain, bleeding and maceration.

Cost and resource use

  • The list price for 1 Oxyzyme dressing, excluding VAT, is £6.00 for the 6.5×5 cm size and £10.00 for the10×10 cm size.

  • The list price for 1 Iodozyme dressing, excluding VAT, is £7.50 for the 6.5×5 cm size and £12.50 for the 10×10 cm size.

  • A separate, air-permeable covering dressing is needed at an additional cost.

  • One RCT (n=100) found the use of Oxyzyme or Iodozyme dressings to be cost saving compared to standard care due to a reduction in the number of dressings used.

  • One case series (n=13) considered costs and resource use and found the use of Oxyzyme and Iodozyme dressings to be cost saving compared with standard treatment. The results should be interpreted with caution, because of inappropriate calculations of healing rates.

Technical factors

  • Oxyzyme and Iodozyme dressings consist of 2 hydrogel layers that must be placed on the wound in the correct order and covered with an air-permeable dressing.

  • Oxyzyme and Iodozyme dressings release iodine when the 2 hydrogel layers are combined.

  • The Oxyzyme dressing is normally used for non-infected wounds.

  • The Iodozyme dressing releases a higher concentration of iodine than Oxyzyme and is normally used for infected wounds.

  • Choice of wound dressing is one of many factors that affect wound healing.