Wound Healing with Medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Hand Surgery

Table 1

Medication groups in 35 hands.

Medication; group*	Examples (no. of patients)**	Total no. of hands per group	Medication continued	No. of wound breakdowns	No. of wound infections
NSAIDS	Diclofenac (6), ibuprofen (4), flurbiprofen (1), indomethacin (2), naproxen (6), nabumetone (1)	20	Yes	0	1
Cox-2 Inhibitors	Celecoxib, rofecoxib	0	—	—	—
Steroids	Prednisolone	8	Yes	0	0
Biologics	Etanercept (4)	4	No	0	0
Noncytotoxic; DMARDs	Gold (1), hydroxychloroquine (2),; sulfasalazine (8)	11	Yes	0	1
Cytotoxic DMARDs	Leflunomide (1), methotrexate (20), azathioprine (3)	24	Yes	0	1
Anticoagulants	Warfarin, heparin	0	—	—	—
Aspirin***	Dose 75–300 mg daily	5	Yes	0	0
No medication		2	—	0	0

Key: NSAIDs: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Cox-2: cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibitors, DMARDs: disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.
*General analgesics excluded, for example, paracetamol, nefopam, codeine, morphine.
**Some patients were taking more than one medication in a group.
***Aspirin was used for cardiovascular risk reduction (75–300 mg) rather than analgesia/anti-inflammatory.