Silver Bulletin Health News repost May, 2022; by Paul Fassa (Health Journalist- Dateline: Arizona, USA); The antiseptic and disinfectant power of silver has impacted many areas of mainstream medical instruments and other non-medical commercial applications. Almost none of these silver antiseptic and disinfectant applications are considered controversial, they’re even FDA approved!
Let’s examine the medical device applications intended to minimize infections from wounds, surgeries, and other hospital procedures. A 2013 study review analysis, featured in this article, stated in its abstract:
As new devices incorporating silver into their infection-prevention design are surfacing rapidly, an up-to-the-minute tally is nearly impossible. This review aimed to cover the major areas in which silver has been used in medical applications. Whereas … other products have emerged with antibacterial properties, silver remains a reasonable addition to the armamentarium against infection and with relatively few side effects. [Emphasis added] (Source) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4955599/)
The National Institutes of Health study referenced above states that silver has a 6,000-year history as a bacterial disinfectant. It was often used for containers and cups for water and other liquids to prevent microbial contamination. Before refrigeration, a silver coin was used in containers of milk to prevent spoiling. [Publishers Note: This was long before the science and biology of “germs”and microbes were understood. But the lack of understanding the science about silver in no way changed the fact of that minerals effectiveness.]
Before the overuse of pharmaceutical antibiotics, which resulted in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, silver was used in surgical and burn injury applications during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This use of silver in surgical gauze dressings and bandages to dress open wounds and burns was quite successful at preventing bacterial infections that hindered the healing process or created serious complications. …And there were no adverse side effects with its use. Silverlon Antimicrobial Wound Dressings
Historically, there’s no evidence that bacteria can adapt to silver to develop a resistance to silver’s antibiotic properties. Although replaced by pharmaceutical antibiotics during WW II until the 1960s, renewed interest in silver for topically treating burn treatments has since surfaced. [This return to a use of silver has occurred for one reason; there is simply nothing more effective for treating burn wounds than silver.]
Historically, various silver salts were used to soak gauze dressings for burns. But those applications had some drawbacks that demanded constant gauze changes. The combination of silver nitrate and sodium sulfadiazine to create SSD (Silver Sulfadiazine Cream) (https://www.drugs.com/pro/ssd-cream.html) proved to be superior to earlier silver salts soaked gauze for burn applications.
Most recently, silver nanoparticles began taking over topical burn treatment application materials with even greater success and fewer complications. Nano particles range from 1 to 100 nanometers in diameter. A nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter. Approximately 800 100-nanometer particles placed side by side would match the width of a human hair. (Source)
From the same review study cited earlier:
Nanosilver particles time-release silver ions over a longer period, increasing the wound surface area in contact with the silver and the duration of that contact. A systematic literature review showed a lower incidence of infection (p<0.0001) with nano-crystalline applications compared with either silver nitrate or SSD for the treatment of burn patients, as well as lower costs and decreased pain scores. [Emphasis added] (Source)
Studies observed and cited in this review have also discovered a silver releasing foam agent to be effective at reducing lower leg or venous ulceration and bed sores. (Silver Foam: Payne JL. Ambrosio AM. Evaluation of an antimicrobial silver foam dressing for use with V.A.C. therapy: Morphological, mechanical, and antimicrobial properties. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. 2009;89:217–222. [PubMed] [Google Scholar])
To purchase silver wound dressings: https://www.woundsource.com/company/argentum-medical-llc
