Tap water or normal saline for cleansing traumatic wounds?

The aim of this review was to identify whether cleansing with tap water results in higher rates of wound infection or delayed healing compared with other cleansing solutions in adults or children with acute uncomplicated traumatic soft tissue wounds. The review utilized a systematic search of key databases (Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, Cinahl, British Nursing Index and PubMed), bibliographies, and internet resources. Three controlled trials were found which studied 1281 people. One further study reported outcomes but could not be fully examined as only an abstract was available. Based on the studies reviewed, results suggest no clinically significant increase in the risk of wound infection in wounds irrigated with tap water when compared to sterile normal saline in uncomplicated soft tissue injury. However, the available evidence lacks strength because of the relatively low power and poor quality of studies.