Val is Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK; Visiting Professor of the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention, Huddersfield University, UK; Visiting Professor of the Medical University, Perm, Russia: Technical Director of Microsan Ltd, a company producing natural cleaning products using essential oils and an Independent Microbiology Consultant of Essential Microbiology Ltd.

In her role as an Independent Microbiology Consultant, work to now has included advising on single use plastics and its impact on infection control, the impact of UVC on reducing environmental decontamination, antiseptic treatment of wound infection, biofilm based wound care, National Advisory Committee for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Wound care and Infection Control for Burn Centres.

With a 45 year career in Microbiology, Val has 20 year’s experience in the NHS in diagnostic microbiology and 21 years as an academic researcher. Her research interests are wound infection, toxic shock syndrome, alternative treatment strategies, essential oils as antimicrobial agents and rapid diagnosis of infection using mass spectrometry. She is Consultant Microbiologist for the Channel TV show Embarrassing Bodies and frequently advises on anything microbiology for a variety of TV programmes and PR companies.

Presentation at The SoTV/EWMA 2024 Conference, London

Alternative therapies in wound care

Learning objectives

After attending this session, persons will be able to:

• Understand the different alternative approaches to wound care
• Understand some novel methods of treating infection eg with viruses, essential oils
• Understand how new treatments, dressings and ointments can reduce bioburden in a wound

Abstract

Wound infection causes much distress for the patient and is very costly to resolve. In the wake of increasing antimicrobial resistance to conventional antibiotics, novel treatment strategies and compounds are needed to resolve wound infection or in some cases, chronic colonisation with biofilm formation.

A number of new treatment strategies have been introduced in recent years such as biofilm based wound care which includes rigorous cleaning and debridement with or without antiseptics. New dressings have been introduced which incorporate new materials such as chitosan, which itself has antimicrobial properties and works in a different way to conventional biocides.

In addition, novel treatment strategies have been exploited in all aspects of patients care including vaccine therapy, phage therapy, essential oil therapy and introduction of new and targeted antimicrobials including probiotics, lantibiotics and bactericins. These will be discussed and the possibilities in wound care explored.