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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Intralesional application of medical grade honey improves he...
Equine veterinary journal2019; 52(1); 41-45; doi: 10.1111/evj.13111

Intralesional application of medical grade honey improves healing of surgically treated lacerations in horses.

Abstract: Infection and dehiscence of simple lacerations is common in horses, and consistently effective methods of prevention are yet to be found. Honey has been shown to promote wound healing when applied topically; however, intralesional application prior to wound closure has not been reported. Objective: To examine whether intralesional application of medical grade honey (MGH) would reduce the incidence of infection and dehiscence following wound closure. Methods: Prospective, open-label randomised block design clinical study. Methods: Lacerations, treated by field practitioners, were divided into treatment and control groups using block randomisation. Horses in the treatment group received a single intralesional treatment with l-mesitran gel (MGH). Data were collected at the time of wound closure and at suture removal. Results: Data from 127 horses were included, 69 MGH-treated and 58 control cases. No adverse effects of the MGH were recorded. MGH-treated horses were more likely to completely heal (P = 0.006, odds ratio [OR] 3.40 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41-8.20), to have no signs of infection (P = 0.007, OR 3.64, CI 1.42-9.26) and for the veterinarians to report some degree of satisfaction (P = 0.04, OR 2.72, CI 1.05-7.09) compared to control cases. Numbers needed to treat for complete healing was 5.1 (CI 2.8-40). Conclusions: Clinical studies have inherent flaws compared to wound healing models, because of variability between wounds. There were more horses with limb injuries in the control group, although not statistically significant, this may have biased the results. Clinical satisfaction and signs of infection were subjective evaluations and evaluators were not blinded to the treatment group. Conclusions: Intralesional application of MGH to lacerations prior to wound closure may be beneficial in preventing infection and dehiscence. Larger, blinded studies focusing on wounds at a specific location with more objective assessment should be pursued.
© 2019 EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2019-04-15 PubMed ID: 30895637DOI: 10.1111/evj.13111Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research evaluates the impact of medical grade honey (MGH) in enhancing the healing process of surgically treated lacerations in horses. The intralesional application of MGH has been found to reduce infection and aid in wound healing, although larger studies are needed to validate these findings.

Research Aim and Design

  • The main objective of this study was to examine the potential of MGH to reduce infection and wound rupture during the healing process of lacerations in horses.
  • The researchers carried out a prospective clinical study using an open-label randomized block design.
  • The lacerations were divided into two—a treatment group that received intralesional MGH and a control group.

Methods and Results

  • The lacerations were treated by the field practitioners and data was collected at the time of wound closure and suture removal.
  • The researchers found that horses in the treatment group were more likely to heal completely, show no signs of infection, and receive satisfactory evaluations from the veterinarians.
  • The data included observations from 127 horses, 69 of which were treated with MGH, and no adverse effects were recorded from the use of MGH.

Conclusion

  • The study concluded that MGH might be beneficial in preventing infection and wound rupture when applied intralesionally before wound closure.
  • However, the researchers pointed out inherent flaws in clinical studies due to variability between wounds. Therefore, larger, more targeted and blind studies are recommended for a more accurate evaluation.
  • It was also noted that clinical satisfaction and signs of infection were subjectively evaluated and the evaluators were aware of the treatment group, which could influence the results.

Cite This Article

APA
Mandel HH, Sutton GA, Abu E, Kelmer G. (2019). Intralesional application of medical grade honey improves healing of surgically treated lacerations in horses. Equine Vet J, 52(1), 41-45. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13111

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 52
Issue: 1
Pages: 41-45

Researcher Affiliations

Mandel, H H
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Beit Dagan, Israel.
Sutton, G A
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Beit Dagan, Israel.
Abu, E
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Beit Dagan, Israel.
Kelmer, G
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Beit Dagan, Israel.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Infections / prevention & control
  • Bacterial Infections / veterinary
  • Female
  • Honey
  • Horse Diseases / prevention & control
  • Horses
  • Lacerations / veterinary
  • Male
  • Wound Healing

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