Abstract:

Objective To investigate the efficacy of externally applied mirabilite combined with infrared irradiation in promoting wound healing following biliary tract surgery. Methods Patients who underwent open surgery for biliary tract disease in our department between January 2022 and April 2025 were randomly assigned to one of three groups： （1） Combination group （n = 60）， which received postoperative wound treatment with mirabilite application combined with infrared irradiation； （2） Mirabilite group （n = 60）， treated with mirabilite application alone； and （3） Infrared group （n = 60）， treated with infrared irradiation alone. The primary outcomes included wound healing grade on postoperative day 7， pain intensity measured on days 3， 5， and 7， and wound healing status up to discharge. For cases with suboptimal healing， the duration required for complete healing following intervention was documented. Secondary outcomes encompassed length of postoperative hospital stay and Vancouver Scar Scale （VSS） scores—assessing scar pigmentation， thickness， vascularity， and pliability—evaluated at 3 months postoperatively. Results The combination group exhibited significantly lower rates of poor wound healing， shorter postoperative hospital stays， improved VSS scores—particularly in terms of scar thickness and pliability—and reduced pain levels on the 3rd and 5th postoperative days compared to the other two groups （P < 0.05）. Conclusions The combined use of mirabilite and infrared irradiation for surgical incisions following biliary tract surgery represents an effective， economical， and readily accessible adjuvant therapy. It significantly reduces the incidence of impaired wound healing and effectively alleviates early postoperative pain， thereby demonstrating strong potential for clinical promotion.

Key words: mirabilite, infrared irradiation, cholelithiasis, impaired wound healing