Efficacy of wound care ointment in healing infectious wounds after anorectal surgery A randomized controlled trial

Background: This study evaluates the efficacy of a novel bismuth subgallate-borneol compound ointment as an adjuvant therapy in promoting postoperative healing of infectious incisions after anorectal surgery. Methods: From June 2023 to October 2023, 46 patients with perianal abscess and anal fistula treated at our institution's Anorectal Surgery Department were enrolled in this prospective randomized controlled study. Patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups: the experimental group (n = 23) received conventional wound care plus a proprietary ointment containing 4.5% bismuth subgallate and 0.7% d-borneol in a Vaseline base, while the control group (n = 23 cases) received conventional wound care alone (comprising daily wound cleansing, dressing changes and traditional Chinese medicine injection). Image J Software was used for collecting the data of wound area, and the wound healing rate and granulation growth rate of the 2 groups were calculated to evaluate the therapeutic effect of the 2 groups. Results: The growth rate of cured granulation in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group at all 3 predetermined observation points, with statistically significant difference (P <.05). Furthermore, the wound healing rate of the experimental group showed significant improvement by day 14 (P <.05). Conclusion: The bismuth subgallate-borneol compound ointment, when used as an adjuvant to standard wound care protocols, demonstrates significant efficacy in treating post-anorectal surgery infectious wounds. Its dual-active component formulation appears to effectively promote both granulation tissue formation and wound healing, potentially through its documented antibacterial properties.