Aloe vera is a cactus-like perennial succulent belonging to the Liliaceae Family that is commonly grown in tropical climates. Animal studies have suggested that Aloe vera may help accelerate the wound healing process. To determine the effects of Aloe vera-derived products (for example dressings and topical gels) on the healing of acute wounds (for example lacerations, surgical incisions and burns) and chronic wounds (for example infected wounds, arterial and venous ulcers). We searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (9 September 2011), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 3), Ovid MEDLINE (2005 to August Week 5 2011), Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations 8 September 2011), Ovid EMBASE (2007 to 2010 Week 35), Ovid AMED (1985 to September 2011) and EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to 9 September 2011). We did not apply date or language restrictions. We included all randomised controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of Aloe vera, aloe-derived products and a combination of Aloe vera and other dressings as a treatment for acute or chronic wounds. There was no restriction in terms of source, date of publication or language. An objective measure of wound healing (either proportion of completely healed wounds or time to complete healing) was the primary endpoint. Two review authors independently carried out trial selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment, checked by a third review author. Seven trials were eligible for inclusion, comprising a total of 347 participants. Five trials in people with acute wounds evaluated the effects of Aloe vera on burns, haemorrhoidectomy patients and skin biopsies. Aloe vera mucilage did not increase burn healing compared with silver sulfadiazine (risk ratio (RR) 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70 to 2.85). A reduction in healing time with Aloe vera was noted after haemorrhoidectomy (RR 16.33 days, 95% CI 3.46 to 77.15) and there was no difference in the proportion of patients completely healed at follow up after skin biopsies. In people with chronic wounds, one trial found no statistically significant difference in pressure ulcer healing with Aloe vera (RR 0.10, 95% CI -1.59 to 1.79) and in a trial of surgical wounds healing by secondary intention Aloe vera significantly delayed healing (mean difference 30 days, 95% CI 7.59 to 52.41). Clinical heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. The poor quality of the included trials indicates that the trial results must be viewed with extreme caution as they have a high risk of bias. There is currently an absence of high quality clinical trial evidence to support the use of Aloe vera topical agents or Aloe vera dressings as treatments for acute and chronic wounds.

The full text of this review is freely available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008762.pub2/pdf.

Delayed diagnosis of an intraperitoneal bladder rupture is rare in the post CT era. We present a case of a middle aged male with a delayed presentation of a traumatic intraperitoneal bladder rupture. He initially presented with an acute distended abdomen and acute kidney injury after an alleged assault. He was initially admitted for investigation of his 'ascites.' This case to our knowledge is the longest delay to diagnosis (>2 weeks) for an intraperitoneal bladder rupture in the post computed tomography era and should serve as a learning point in the workup of the patient with suspected blunt bladder injury.

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are currently used in the management of pulmonary embolism (PE) and lower limb venous thromboembolism (VTE). Despite their widespread use, associated complications including duodenal perforation have been reported. We describe a unique case of duodenal perforation 2 years post IVC filter insertion in a patient with polyarteritis nodosa (steroid dependent) and thrombocytopenia secondary to chronic cyclophosphamide use. IVC filters are commonly employed in the management of VTE. Associated complications have been reported including filter migration, fracture and adjacent organ perforation. There is growing consensus that temporary IVC filters should be retrieved as soon as possible with dedicated IVC filter registries to ensure patients are not lost to follow-up post insertion. Duodenal perforation is a rare complication of IVC filter insertion. This case however illustrates the potentially catastrophic consequences of a relatively common endovascular procedure. Caution should be taken when considering the insertion of IVC filters in patients with longstanding vasculopathies who are on immunosuppressants.