Honey dressing beneficial in treatment of fournier's gangrene

Background: Fournier's gangrene is a difficult infective condition to treat. We report our experience of the management of this disease with honey dressings.
Material and Methods: Thirty patients admitted with the diagnosis of Fournier's gangrene were randomly allocated to two groups, one group treated by honey dressing and the other by Eusol dressing. All patients were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and underwent debridement and delayed closure as required.
Results: In 14 patients treated with honey dressing, healthy granulation appeared in 4 patients in one week and in all patients within 3 weeks. One patient died. In 16 patients treated with Eusol dressing, healthy granulation appeared in one week and by 4 weeks in remaining patients. Two patients died. Secondary suturing and skin grafting was required in 9 patients in each group. Mean hospital stay was 28 days (range 9-40 days) in the honey-treated group and 32 days (range12-52 days) in the Eusol-treated group.
Conclusion: In this study, honey was found to be beneficial in the treatment of Fournier's gangrene.