Despite the presence of many special fluids to treat the surface of wounds, physiological saline is considered preferable because it is isotonic and does not affect the healing process. At the same time, drinking tap water is often used by the population for this purpose because of its easy availability and low cost.

The aim of a systematic study by R. Fernandez et al. (Australia), was to conduct a comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of using tap water and special solutions to treat wound surfaces in preventing the development of infectious complications. The work included data from randomized and partially randomized trials selected from the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialized Register (until June 2007), MEDLINE (1996-2007), EMBASE (1980-2007), CINAHL (1982-) electronic databases. 2007), as well as Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (issue 3; 2007).

A total of 11 studies were selected, of which 7 compared the incidence of infectious complications in patients using tap water and saline, 1 tap water and 70% alcohol with novocaine, and 3 tap water compared to the absence of interventions. Results show that the use of tap water has resulted in a more pronounced reduction in the risk of secondary wound infection in adult patients compared to saline solution (relative risk (RR) 0.63, confidence interval 95% (CI) 0.4-0.99 with fresh wounds and RR 0.16, 95% CI 0.01-2.96 for chronic wounds). At the same time, the results of using tap water to clean the surface of fresh wounds in children did not differ significantly from those when using physiological saline (RR 1.07, CI 95 % 0.43-2.64). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of infectious complications when cleaning the wound surface with tap water compared to no intervention (RR 1.06, CI 95 % 0.07-16.50) and when using water and alcohol with novocaine during episiotomy. The use of isotonic solution, distilled or boiled water to treat wounds in the area of open fractures was also not accompanied by statistically significant differences in the incidence of secondary infections.

Thus, there was no evidence for the hypothesis that the use of tap water to treat (cleanse) the wound surface increases the risk of developing infectious complications, while the results of individual studies suggest opposite. At the same time, there is no reliable evidence that cleaning the surface of wounds per se can affect the speed of their healing and the incidence of infectious complications. The quality of tap water, the nature of the wound and the patient's condition must also be taken into account.