Iodine on coral cuts?

[ietermagog]

I was told by a spearfisherman not to put iodine based antiseptic (specifically brandname Betadine) on marine cuts, especially if going back into the water, with the reasoning being something along the lines of the fact that coral thrives in iodine base (salty sea) and therefore this medicine will not promote healing. Any truth in this?
Thanks doctors.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi ietermagog,

The "reasoning" that because coral thrives in seawater containing a trace of iodine topical antiseptic products formulated with iodine (e.g., Betadine) will not promote healing of coral scrapes strikes me as utter nonsense.

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

 

[cutlass]

Aquarists use iodide supplements in live reef tanks as a beneficial anti-oxidant. Iodine and iodine-like products are atomically different (being in the halogen class along with chlorine) and are generally non-selectively cytotoxic; i.e. the equivalent of a cellular nuclear option.

There is some controversy about using iodine and iodine-like products directly on wounds. Cytotoxicity is demonstrated from tests with isolated tissue examples (in-vitro). Using iodine-type products on large wounds or over long periods of time may pose some risk to those who have thyroid or kidney disorders or to fetuses or very young children. However, other tests with natural body tissue (in-vivo) have not proven invariably highly toxic to the whole subject or being wholly detrimental to the healing process. Newer products such as Iodosorb(tm) (cadexomer iodine) have been toted as promoting and speeding healing. More well-conducted studies are needed to clarify the playing field.

The basic approach to wound care is to simply clean out the wound and keep it clean. For minor cuts or scrapes, use a gentle focused stream of the cleanest fresh water available. This can be done by squeezing a plastic bag of water which is punctured with a small hole or two. Small stubborn bits can either be picked or flicked out with fine tweezers or snagged in the threads of a gauze pad; being careful not to press any foreign material deeper into the tissue. To reduce bacterial infection risk, topical antibiotic-type ointments may be applied according to the manufacturer's instructions.